Wanderers
by JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: Luan Loud is just a normal teenager struggling to make her way through the world- Until she wakes up in a strange place with no recollection of how she got there. Now she must find her way back home along with the mysterious and brooding Maggie, all while avoiding the grotesque creatures that inhabit the streets of Silent Hill. Cover art by Parasomnico. I do not own The Loud House.
1. Awake

**Hey guys. This is my first fic on Fanfiction, and hopefully not my last. (I have this complete work published on AO3, and am slowly adding it to this site.)**

 **That being said, and I'll try not to ramble, but I love video games and I love Yuri, so that's kind of where this came from. I really wanted to do a Life is Strange, Left Behind-esque story for a while now, and I've also been dabbling with Resident Evil, Silent Hill fan fiction.**

 **Anyway, I read some cute fics about Luan and Luna Loud and their respective lesbian love interests when it hit me: Why not kill two birds with one stone and do a Survival Horror/Yuri fic?**

* * *

It's one of her bad days.

Yeah, she could sit with the theatre kids, or maybe even her sister would tolerate her presence at the jock table.

Instead, she chooses to put in her earbuds, crank the volume up louder than actually necessary, and keep her head hung low as she hastily makes her way to the restroom.  
And not the restroom by the cafeteria- too many people go there.

No, she goes all the way to the field house to hide in the bathroom there.

She makes her way inside and the door swings shut. She tries to look casual as she checks to make sure no one is occupying any of the stalls, and once she's certain no one's around, she makes her way inside of one.

She takes out her earbuds and unlocks her phone, only to discover that she has a mere 6% charge left on her battery. She curses, and defeated, she hangs her head.

Luan Loud begins to cry.

The day started out just fine. None of the sisters were giving each other any grief, the sun was shining on this beautiful summer day, and she had even penciled down a few good jokes in her journal on the way to school.

But somewhere along the way, she just shut down. She had her family, and her theatre troupe, but she still didn't feel quite she belonged anywhere. She was the weird kid with the creepy wooden doll, the one who liked to dress up as a mime or a clown for kids' birthday parties. She didn't have boyfriends, and she certainly didn't go to parties. She didn't even do social media- except a Facebook page to take bookings for Funny Business Inc. of course.

It just creeped up on her all at once, the way it always does on bad days.

She's having a pretty good cry- really working up some tears, until she just barely hears the bathroom door creak open.

She quickly regains her composure, wiping away her tears and sniffling as quietly as she can before whoever this is can catch her in the act.

She carefully leans over to peek under the stall door, discovering two dark purple boots that belong to a girl standing in front of a mirror.

For a moment, she just stands there, and then she slowly makes her way into the stall farthest to the right of Luan.

Luan considers propping her feet up on the toilet, but she knows she's been seen. " _That would just be weird_ ," she tells herself.

She thinks about just up and leaving, but she knows her face is red and puffy from crying. She could blame it on her asthma or her allergies, but she really just wants to avoid any attention.

So, she just sits there quietly, waiting out the rest of lunch until she's ready to face Algebra- or until the stranger with the dark purple boots leaves first.  
As if it matters.

* * *

Luan wakes up from a deep, dreamless sleep. She finds herself on the cold, hard floor of a strange, grimy room with concrete walls.

"What the-" she utters, absolutely dumbfounded.

"This isn't my room. And I didn't even have anything to drink last night," she quips.

As she becomes somewhat alert, she stands up and looks around. There's actually a bed mounted to the wall to the side of her, but the sheets look dirty, and maybe even stained.  
There's an unclean toilet and sink in the left corner, and a small white table on the right side of the room. There's also a strange small hole high up on the farthest wall of the room, maybe a window. Finally, there's the door. The pane is barred, and there's no knob to open it.

Upon realizing this, Luan begins to panic. "What? No, no, no," she sputters. She tries to push the door, then yanks on the pane bars, but it won't budge.  
"What the heck?!" she exclaims.

She just stands there for a moment, trying to calm herself down before she loses her breath.

Once she's more relaxed, she starts contemplating her situation.

" _Okay, I remember lying down in my own bed, Luna asking me about her song for Sam, and then I fell asleep. How the heck did I end up here?..._ "

" _And just where exactly is here? It's all damp and- gross. I feel like I've been flushed down a toilet… A really- fucked up toilet._ "

She can hear some indistinct noises coming from outside the room- the cell, really, but she can't quite make them out. There's a sudden loud pang though, not the kind that happens on its own. It must be someone else!

"Hey! HEY! Help! I'm in here! Hey! Somebody, please! Get me out of here! Help!" she hollers, but no one responds.

"Anybody?!..."

Defeated, she quiets down.

"Please…" she musters out, before sliding down the wall.

And again, she begins to cry.

"How am I gonna get out of here? What's gonna happen to me?" she asks herself.

A chill runs down her spine. Something is going on out there.

She perks up, and a shadow eclipses the narrow beam of light at the bottom crack of the door.

She scoots away from it, unsure really of what to do as her heart begins racing.

She anxiously stares at the door, and hears a crinkling sound from the other side- like someone trying to turn a locked doorknob. The noise stops for a moment, then starts again.

Then- the door opens.

It lets out a loud creak as a girl with dark hair makes her way inside.

At first glance, she thinks of Luna, then Lucy.

It's neither though, it's just some girl.

Or is it?

She just stands there, grimacing at Luan, waiting for her to react, she supposes.

"Who are you?" Luan asks without budging.

"I'm nobody," the girl replies in the most gothic of voices. "I heard you crying so I thought I'd let you out."

"I wasn't crying. I have allergies," Luan quickly retorts, wiping the snot off her nose with a quick wrist swipe.

"Yeah, sure," the girl says, and she turns to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Luan yells, quickly standing herself up.

She makes her way out the door, and the girl has already made it halfway down the hall of this strange place. She sort of takes in the environment: the concrete walls, the dirty floors, the water dripping sporadically from the ceiling, but she mostly focuses on catching up with the girl.

"Wait! I'm not done talking to you!"

"What?" she simply responds, still walking forward.

"Ugh... Where are we? What is this place? And who are you?" Luan frustratingly asks.

"I already told you. I'm nobody. And I don't know where we are," she answers, still stubbornly walking forward.

Luan stops. "That tells me nothing!" She shouts, throwing her hands in the air.

The girl just keeps moving forward down the hall, and Luan takes a moment to take it all in. If she had to guess, this place is a prison. It certainly looks like one, but it feels weird. It's all moist and humid, like she's going to evaporate. " _Wow, that thought got dark_ ," she quips to herself. " _This bitch must've rubbed off on me_."

* * *

 **So, this first chapter was pretty short. There will be monsters and more Silent Hilly things, I just didn't get them into this chapter.**

 **Thanks a lot for reading, comments would be nice just to know somebody gives a hoot.**


	2. Peaches

"Where are you even going?" Luan asks the girl.

Despite being- well… disgusting, the prison is well-lit.

She can see that the girl is wearing a light blue shirt and a black skirt, " _Skirts rule_ ," she childishly thinks to herself.

She has a purple sweatshirt tied around her waist, " _WAIST not what not!… No, that one needs work…_ " runs through her mind.

She's also wearing dark purple- almost black, boots. She doesn't really have anything snarky to say about them.

"Dude?!" Luan reiterates.

"And, you're still following me, because?..." the stranger replies.

" _Is she for real?_ " she thinks. However, she doesn't want to get on her bad side.

"Uhm, you're the only other human being in this place!" she says in the bitchiest way possible.

" _Smooth Luan_ …"

The girl still doesn't answer her, or even turn around. " _What is she, a freakin' zombie?!"_

Luan is caught off guard as the girl halts before a door, almost colliding into her.

She tries to open the door on the side of the hall, but it's locked.

"Dang it," She curses.

The way she says it is way funnier for Luan than it would be for anyone else, except the Joker maybe, but she digresses from laughing out loud like an idiot.

The girl runs through her long dark hair for something, and pulls out a bobby pin. Then she grabs what looks like an ice pick from the sweatshirt around her waist.

" _Oh yes! Now that joke works!_ "

"WAIST not, what not," she reveals to the girl, less enthusiastically than she normally would.

She doesn't even look at her, instead focusing on picking the lock before her.

"Get it?..." Luan adds.

That actually makes her perk up a little, but she keeps working on the lock.

" _At least she acknowledged me… I guess._ "

The bobby pin snaps.

"Ugh, no way!" The girl blurts out.

"That was my only- fucking pin!"

A proverbial light bulb goes off above Luan's head. She pulls off the pin for the pink flower on her shirt, and reaches out to give it to the stranger.

The girl turns to face her, and Luan gets a somewhat decent look at her face now. She has bangs, freckles, little black earrings, black eyeliner, grey eyes. It's all very familiar- maybe she just reminds her of Luna.

No. No it's something else.

The girl just frowns for a moment before accepting the pin, then attempts to use it as a substitute for her own.

As Luan pretends to act like she might learn something from watching the girl, kind of thinking about where she's seen her before, and then her Spidey Senses kick on.

"Sorry about your pin, I won't PICK on you too hard, though."

That one came out a lot better than her last weak pun. She doesn't belly laugh though, not that it wasn't a good joke, just- this girl's a tough crowd.

Scowling, either because of the joke or just- whatever emo kids scowl at, the girl works on the lock until she finally gets it.

"Don't shut this," she instructs Luan, handing her back her pin. "I had it open before, but my prop moved."

" _Props? I've got plenty!…. Ehh, Keep that one to yourself- she won't get it._ "

The girl shoves the door open, and paces straight for a table with big cans on it. She violently grabs one of them, clicks open the tab, and removes the lid. She then neurotically looks around for something, finally finding what she's looking for- a spoon, on the counter behind her.

Luan takes a good look around the room. It's a kitchen, and it's just as grody as the rest of the place.

She watches the girl go to town on this can of… peaches, and she decides she's going to have some too. She grabs a can from the table, and proceeds to do just as the girl did. Except, she doesn't see a spoon anywhere.

"Make them last, we're stuck here," the gothic girl comments.

She finishes up her meal, then sets the gooky spoon back on the counter before making her way towards a refrigerator.

"Uhm, thanks," Luan utters, and she picks up the gooky spoon. She could probably find another one if she looked hard enough, but she doesn't want to get to distracted, so she just uses the damn thing.

"I mean, for letting me out and what not," she adds.

The girl doesn't respond in any way, she just grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and starts drinking from it.

Watching the girl, it finally dawns on Luan.

"Hey, I know you," she says.

"You were in my Theatre class. You showed up on the first day and you never came back."

She immediately feels stupid for saying this. Maybe it was the delivery, or just the material, or who knows- but it came off as weird. Maybe she's just overthinking it. Oh god, she's overthinking it…

The girl actually faces her, but keeps a straight face as she takes another swig from her water. They make a brief amount of eye contact before she puts the water back in the fridge.

"Help yourself," she comments, and she makes way for the door.

Although it was maybe three seconds of eye contact, it felt much longer for Luan.

" _This girl is pretty intimidating, or maybe I'm just a chickenshit."_

Either way, she scoffs down her remaining peaches- the best and only canned peaches she's ever had in her life, and goes to grab some water from the fridge. There's actually plenty of bottles, which is kind of a relief, assuming what the girl said was true about being stuck here.

She decides to ask her what she meant by that, but by the time she turns around, she's disappeared.

She doesn't get excited, she assumes she couldn't have gone too far, so she just calmly gets her drink. Her family enters her mind. " _I wonder what they're all doing? Do they even know I'm gone?_ " she asks herself.

" _I kind of hope not, I don't want to be responsible for upsetting them. Ugh… I can't think about that now. I have to figure out what's even going on_." She puts her water back in the fridge, and makes way for the door.

* * *

She does a double take at the door, and notices another large, metal door at the far end of the hall. She approaches it, and it clearly won't open. She doesn't even try.

With that, she heads back down the hall. " _Better find Princess Peach_."

She notices that most of the cell doors are open, so she peers in every one she passes. " _I'd totally die if this was a horror movie_ ," she thinks.

She comes to about a fourth or fifth door, looks in, and almost pulls herself out before realizing the girl lying down on a bed rack. She just stares up at the ceiling, " _God only knows what she's thinking_."

She carefully considers what she should say to her, before opening up with, "I'm Luan, by the way."

The girl momentarily glances at her, then returns her attention to the ceiling.

There's a pause.

"So, do you remember how you got here?" Luan asks her now.

"Do you?" the girl rebuts.

" _Meet me in the middle you_ -"

"No," she coyly answers. She begins rubbing her arm nervously. "So, you don't know how you got here?"

The girl doesn't answer, though she readjusts her position on the bed.

Luan starts to grow impatient. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

The girl once again meets her gaze, maintaining the same blank expression. After a moment, she rises up from the bed, and makes her way past Luan.

" _You fucking_ -"

"Hey?!" she blurts out. The girl just steadily makes her way down the hall again.

" _What is with this chick_?"

"Hey, I asked you a question! And I don't know if you heard me, but my name's Luan!"

"I heard you. Just follow me. I know you can do that," the girl retorts.

Luan starts to say something derogatory, but stops herself with a face palm.

" _Just be patient girl. She's your only hope_ ," she tells herself. So, she does as the girl requested and follows her.

They come to another door, and beyond it is an empty room.

Well, it is empty, except for a large window on the ceiling.

"It's been nine days since I woke up here. That's how I know," the girl reveals to Luan.

"So, you really have no idea where we are?" she asks.

"I really don't," she answers, turning to face her. "Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go take a nap."

As the girl begins to make her way past Luan again, she side steps in front of her.

"Now just hold on a second. You're not gonna try to find a way out of here?"

The girl rolls her eyes and groans. "Ugh. I've already tried everything. I really have. Now please, just leave me alone," she tells her, making her way out the door.

Luan Loud is hardly ever one to be speechless, but she's completely taken back. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to get out of here?

She gives up trying to reason with her though. What's the point?

So, she gets to work on finding anything that may be useful in helping her escape. " _Gotta make like Ace Savvy, I guess_."

* * *

She even looks under the beds, but there's nothing. Who or whatever brought these girls here clearly has no intention of letting them leave.

She begins to cough, and it gets harder to fight it. " _I need to find a way out of here before I have an episode. I could end up in a COFFIN if I'm not careful_."

It's just not the same without someone from class to laugh, or someone from the Loud house to groan, but she tries to keep strong.

" _Maybe the Grim Reaper over there was a funny guy too before she got here, and she hasn't always had an enormous stick shoved up her_ -"

Something catches her attention. Hanging on the wall is a lit candle.

But, if it's lit, who lit it? Goth girl?

She makes her way back into her room, and the girl appears to be asleep. She actually seems kind of normal in her sleep- maybe because she isn't frowning like she's constipated.

Still, Luan doesn't waste any time waking her with a few shrugs to the arm.

"Uhh… Mmm, what?" she moans as she wakes. She brushes her bangs, and meets Luan's eyes.

"What?!" she sternly repeats.

"Come on, I gotta show you something," Luan tells her.

She just scowls, and lies back down.

"Hey!" Luan cries, and she jostles her some more.

"Stop! Leave me alone, dude," the girl whines, waving her away.

"Come on, it's important!" she tries. No response.

"Hmph…" she huffs.

" _Come on Luan, you gotta do better than that. Think like an emo bitch!_ "

"Look, I promise to leave you alone if you just come help me with something real quick. It'll only take a second."

The girl lets out a deep sigh that would put Lucy to shame, then sits back up.

"This better be good."

She follows Luan out into the hall, and back to the room with the wall mounted candle.

"Look at that candle," Luan instructs the girl.

She complies, "It's a candle, alright..."

"Yeah, well how has it stayed lit?"

The girl just stares at the thing, scrutinizing it.

"You've been here for nine days, and you haven't noticed that?"

She thinks about it for a moment. "No, I guess not. What's your point?"

Luan steps closer to the candle. "I don't know, but there's something weird about it."

"There's one just like it across the hall," the girl adds.

"You don't say? Well, that's interesting," Luan thinks aloud, investigating the candle before her. It's a little high up, but she's able to touch it with the tips of her fingers while standing on her tiptoes.

The dark haired girl doesn't say anything, she just observes from a safe distance.

"It feels weird," Luan says, and she jumps up to try and grab it.

"What are you doing?" the girl finally questions.

After a couple tries, she's able to grasp onto the candle, and yanks it down like a switch.

"Shit, did you see that?!" she exclaims.

"Uhm, yeah?" the girl responds, more confused than impressed.

"You said there's a candle on the other side of the hall?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Go pull on it- like I did!"

"What?" she bluntly says.

"It might act as some sort of mechanism! You know, like in the movies? Just go do it!" Luan excitedly commands her.

"Whatever dude," she says, and she once again complies.

After a moment, Luan calls out to her. "Did you pull on it?!"

"Yeah, it didn't do anything!" the girl says from the other room.

Luan ponders on this for a moment. Again, for whatever reason, she asks herself, " _What would Ace Savvy do?_ "

Again, the proverbial light bulb goes off.

"Hey, maybe we gotta do it at the same time!" she shouts.

No response.

"Hey, did you hear me?!"

"Yeah, I heard you. That just- kind of sounds stupid."

" _Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine_ …"

"I'm gonna count to three, and when I say 'Go,' you pull, okay?!"

"Okay?!"

"Okay, I got it!" she finally replies.

"Okay. One… Two… Three… GO!" Luan pulls down on the candle. And, nothing happens.

She steps out into the hallway, and the girl meets her out there.

"Did you pull when I said 'Go?"

"Yes," the girl snarkily answers, crossing her arms. "See, I told you it was-"

Out of the corner of her eye, Luan sees the big metal door at the far end of the hallway raise up.

Apparently, the girl notices it, too. "Holy shit," she blurts out.

"It worked!" Luan gleefully exclaims. "I can't think of any good puns- but fuck it! We got the door open!"

The girl actually smirks. "Yeah, I guess we did."

They look at one another, and Luan lets out an awkward chuckle. Even when she displays some emotion, the girl is still pretty intimidating.

"Come on, let's see where it goes," she tells her, and she leads the way. She turns to make sure the girl is actually following her, and she is.

" _Well, she's got a way with words_."

They pass through the door, and it leads to a large set of descending stairs. There's something ominous about them, and both girls stop in their tracks.

"I don't know about-" the girl begins, but she's cut off by a very loud slamming noise from behind them.

They jump, and realize the big metal door has once again sealed shut.

"Well, poo. I guess there's only one way to go now," Luan says.

"I guess that place was getting old anyway..." the girl unenthusiastically says back.

They once again look at one another, unsure quite how to feel about passing the point of no return. What they hear next does not encourage them in the least.

From way down below, they can hear agonizing, inhuman moans. It sounds like something from a horror movie.

The girl looks to Luan again, then back to the descending stairs.

"Man... I really wish I would've brought some peaches."

* * *

 **Okay, so I originally had a much more elaborate "puzzle" planned for this chapter, but I decided it was kind of overkill.**

 **Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments or concerns, don't hesitate to post them. After all, teamwork makes the dream work.**


	3. Pyramid

**Just wanted to throw this out there, the soundtrack for Silent Hill 2 is soooo good. I listen to it when I do homework and when I write my Hill fics. Consider this while reading.**

"What do you think that was?" Luan asks the girl as they descend the ominous stairs.

The girl glances back at her and lets out a sigh, but doesn't answer. Luan quickly gives up hope that she'll ever answer _any_ of her questions, but the girl speaks up.

"I don't know. Maybe they're aliens," she says. Loud can't tell if she's joking or not.

"Haha," she weakly laughs, "What makes you say aliens?"

"We ended up here with no memory of what happened, and no one else is here. So, I'm going with aliens."

Still, Luan isn't sure if the girl's just being sarcastic, or if there's some conviction to her claim. She doesn't ask. Instead, she focuses her energy on following her down the stairs, and trying to think of a good joke. It's not so easy under all this stress.

As they make their descent, the inhuman noises fade.

They make it to the bottom of the stairs, and find themselves in what looks to be a cafeteria. Luan thinks back to Royal Woods Middle School, and how the architecture for these two facilities aren't very different.

" _I wonder if this place had its Mean Girls too."_

As they maneuver through, the girl suddenly stops.

Luan looks over to her, and she stands before some graffiti of a large, red circle. There are three little circles within its rim, and several weird characters embroidered on the rim- including a creepy eye at the top.

She gets closer to the girl. "Well, that's disturbing."

The girl looks at her, maintaining a familiar careless expression, then moves away from her.

Luan analyzes the symbol for a moment longer. " _Seriously though, there's something really weird about this thing- and this place in general."_

She catches up with the girl.

"I've never SEEN anything like that, haha."

She either didn't get the pun, or it just wasn't funny.

" _Weak Luan..."_

"Hopefully it's just RED herring."

" _Ehh... you're trying to hard."_

Disregarding Luan's attempts at humor, the girl continues her path forward, leading them out of the cafeteria and into a hallway.

The awkward silence kills Luan though, and she can't help but just say whatever comes to mind.

"Still think it was aliens?"

The girl scoffs. "Hey, remember those weird noises?!"

"Hmm... Yeah," Luan answers. She expected her to just ignore her.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should stop talking," the girl barks.

" _Fair enough... bitch..."_

So, they quietly continue walking through the strange halls of this place, finding nothing particularly useful or interesting.

And of course, Luan's mind starts to wonder. She looks at the girl- the one whose name she still doesn't know, and recognizes her dark purple boots.

" _Yeah, that's gotta be her. She stayed in the bathroom even longer than I did that day... I wonder who she is... And why we're here?"_

* * *

They find themselves in a long, narrow hallway. It's very humid, and the smell of salt water lingers in the air. " _Could we be by the ocean? The beach maybe? Figures... This is karma for that time we made Lincoln choose between the beach and Dairy Land... Or maybe all those April Fool's gags... Or God just doesn't like me... Life's a BEACH."_

She makes herself chuckle with this anecdote. The girl turns to her, giving her a condescending look.

"Allergies," Luan claims, " _Nice save."_

They pass through the door at the end of the hallway, entering a large room with tables, pretentious art and shrubbery, and an enclosed office in the center of it all. "I saw something like this in a show once. People would get their drugs here," Luan remembers.

The girl gives her a sort of affirming nod, but no comment.

" _So was this a prison or a hospital... Or both?"_

For whatever reason, there is a shopping cart resting in a corner of the room. It peaks the girl with bangs' curiosity, and she goes over to it. Luan follows her, and watches as she pulls a pamphlet out of the cart.

She studies it for a moment, "What's it say?" Luan asks her.

"Uhm... it's just a pamphlet," the girl dubiously remarks, and she hands it over to Luan.

She reads the cover, " **Welcome to Silent Hill!** "

" _I've heard of that name before..."_

She turns the page, " **Silent Hill, a quiet little lakeside Resort town. We're happy to have you. Take some time out of your busy schedules and enjoy a nice restful vacation here.** "

"I've heard of this place before," Luan tells the girl, "I think my mom and dad came here just before they got pregnant with me. I think..."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's a great place for a relaxing vacation," she wittily replies.

"Yeah... But what's this stuff doing in a place like this?"

Just as Luan finishes this sentence, a loud, nerve wracking scraping sound manifests from just outside of the room.

"What the heck?" she blurts out.

"Hide!" the girl commands, grabbing Luan by the hand and dragging her to the enclosed office. She tries to open the door, but it's locked- of course.

The sound of a door bursting open nearly makes Luan jump, and the girl grabs her from behind. She holds her hand over Luan's mouth, holding her tightly against the wall.

The loud scraping noise draws nearer and nearer, and Luan can feel the girl's heart pounding on her back.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a towering figure with an enormous red structure on its head dragging a huge blade with one hand, and a corpse with the other.

" _What the fu-"_ she thinks, as the girl maneuvers her to the right. They sneak over to a nearby booth, and cower to avoid being seen.

They raise their heads just enough to see the menacing figure. It throws the lifeless body before it with one hand, then spasms. It stands there for a moment, then begins to draw its blade. It slowly prepares the weapon for a powerful overhead swing, but the girls duck down again. They hear the sound of the blade breaking the flesh of the body- a cruel splattering sound. Luan has to cover her mouth so she doesn't gasp too loudly.

They anxiously wait, and the familiar, horrendous scraping sound returns.

" _He' s gonna find us!"_ Luan thinks as the creature comes closer. The girls compact themselves as hard as they can into the booth, and they watch as the figure slowly passes along, dragging its long and bloodied blade.

It comes within a few feet of the nearest exit, and it stops. It turns back, and begins convulsing again, flailing its blade around and hanging on to its large red helmet-like structure with its free hand.

It regains composure, picks up its blade, and continues out the exit.

The girls wait a moment before stepping out from the booth. Luan looks to the girl, but before she can get too excited, the other girl presses her finger to her lips.

"Don't say it. Just be quiet, and let's get out of here," she calmly dictates.

" _But- The sword?! The big ass helmet thing?! And he didn't even see us! Or did he?! What the fuck?!"_ she thinks, feeling like she could just burst.

But the girl has a point. It isn't safe here. Any illusion suggesting otherwise has just been snuffed out.

"What do we do?" Luan whispers.

"Just follow me," the girl whispers back, and they head for the opposite direction than that of- what Luan refers to in her mind as: "The Pyramid Head."

On their way out, they do not see the felled corpse the monster was dragging around.

In its place on the ground is the large red symbol they saw back in the cafeteria, this time drawn out in blood.

Luan freezes.

"Come on," the girl says to her.

She snaps herself out of it, and follows the girl out of the room.

* * *

Upon exiting the large room, they find themselves in another narrow hall. There are doors lined up along the walls, all of which are closed.

Halfway through, the lights flicker off and on. It appears to be a minor hiccup, but it still bothers Luan.

" _Oh god... I don't like where this is going..."_

They make their way around a bend in the hall, and into a more spacious corridor with a mezzanine.

However, all of the lights are off in this area.

The girls stop, and contemplate their next move before Luan speaks up.

"I don't know, maybe we should find another way."

The girl takes a moment before responding with, "Come on, let's just keep going."

She actually looks afraid. Back in the cell block, she came across as emotionless- untouchable even.

Now, she just looks like a scared girl.

They press forward, and see that there is a door at the end of the hall.

Suddenly, a chill runs down Luan's spine.

She looks behind her, and then up to the balcony to see a pale, ghostly woman with black eyes lurking above.

She freezes. The girl turns to her, and catches on.

Paralyzed by the woman's cold stare, Luan can't muster the strength to utter a single word.

"Luan... Luan run!" The girl orders, pulling her by the arm.

She finally comes to, and does as the girl says.

They make their way through the door, and into a dark hallway with grated walls. They pass one bend, and another, and another.

Then, they hear the sound of the blade being dragged along the floor. "No!" Luan can't help but scream.

"Keep going!" the dark haired girl yells, still pulling her by the arm.

They pass several more bends before meeting a solid wall. As they stop to face the unforgiving obstacle, a miserable thought enters Luan's mind.

" _We're gonna die."_

* * *

 **Google "Pyramid Head" if you're unfamiliar with the SH games and would like a clearer image of what this dude looks like.**

 **The lady on the balcony, I visualize Lisa from PT. Google that image if you want to lose some sleep;p**


	4. Life's a Beach

The menacing, helmeted figure closes in. The sound of its blade being dragged across the linoleum makes Luan's skin crawl.

She and the dark haired girl stare doe-eyed at the monster, cowering fearfully with their backs against a dead end wall.

" _This is it."_ Luan thinks to herself. " _This is how it all ends. There's so much I never got to do... And it's all going to be taken away by this thing..."_

With nothing else to lose, she skips ahead to the third step of the Kubler-Ross process.

"Please, let us go!" she cries.

"Luan-" the girl says.

"We haven't done anything wrong. Please don't do this!" she continues.

She can feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Even in the very face of fear, her mind and body refuse to succumb to it. It's a feeling of overwhelming dread, infused with a tremendous force of anger. It's a rush she's never felt before, and one she hopes she'll never feel again.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear she has much of a choice in the matter. She is to meet her fate at the end of this entity's oppressive blade, just the same as this girl she barely knows- yet feels a compelling bond to.

It's unfair! Lynn Loud, Sr. always stressed just how unfair life could be, but this is ridiculous! It's _bullshit!_

Her hands start shaking, all of her orifices start perspiring, it's almost too much.

 _It is_ too much.

Now within arms-reach of the young girls, the monster halts. It readies its stance.

"Stop!" Luan Loud desperately cries.

The other girl instinctively moves in closer to her, preparing as well as she can for the blow that is to come.

The monster spasms, but quickly recovers. It is unmoved by their tearful faces, apathetic to their fear.

Finally, it begins to raise its blade.

"Stop... STOP!" Luan roars.

She mindlessly raises her hands, and a magnificent burst of energy surges from her palms. The power from the waves completely immobilizes her attacker, but she hasn't given it her all.

Without any coherent thought, she raises the magnitude of the blast, and the Pyramid Head is knocked flat on its back with tremendous ferocity.

And just like that, the beast is felled.

The mysterious girl is absolutely stunned. She's never seen anything like it before in her life. Luan Loud, some random girl from her school who just happens to end up in the same upside-down world as her, used indescribable power to defeat the most dominating force she's ever known.

She can't even feel relief- she doesn't really know what to feel.

She knows she doesn't like it though.

Luan on the other hand, doesn't feel much of anything. In fact, shortly after revealing her hidden strength, she falls to her knees, then to the floor.

"Luan?" The girl utters. She leans down, and cautiously places a hand on her back.

"Luan?" she repeats.

Nothing.

All is not lost though. She can feel the air reentering her body.

The girl just stands there for a moment, trying to wrap her head around what's just happened.

The calmness doesn't last.

She can hear a strange, indistinct grumbling in the distance.

"Alright, fuck... Let's get you out of here," she thinks aloud, and she carefully raises Luan to her feet. She wraps her arm under her legs, and sweeps her up to cradle her.

She carries her to the end of the hall, and back into the room where they saw the strange apparition on the balcony. The grumbling noise becomes more audible.

Back inside the large recreation room, it becomes clear that the girls have caught the attention of something else.

"Damn it... No..." the girl moans. Whatever's pursuing her, it's getting closer.

She pays close attention to where the noises are coming from, and once she has a good idea of where, she makes for the opposite direction with Luan in her arms.

* * *

Luan Loud once again wakes from deep, dreamless sleep.

This time around, she finds herself on a warm, forgiving canvas. She looks up to see a blue sky, definitely not the clearest or prettiest she's ever seen, but it sure beats the inside of the hellhole she remembers.

And then it hits her: where's the hellhole?

She sits up, and discovers that she has sand in her hair, and on her back, and everywhere really. " _What the heck?"_

Somehow, she wound up here: the shore of a beach. Definitely not the damp, gross prison.

"How did I get here?" she wonders aloud.

She stands, and becomes lightheaded. " _Woah, take it easy Luan."_

Once she's regained her composure, she takes a good look around. There's a pier, and some buildings not too far off. There's the shoreline, and nothing truly interesting about it. The sun isn't shining very bright, and a faint mist engulfs the air. If she had to guess, it's probably late in the afternoon.

In the distance, along the coast of the beach, she can see a strange, cylindrical building. " _Is that the prison?"_ she asks herself.

The last thing she can remember is the Pyramid Head towering over her, ready to swing its blade, ready to take her and-

"That girl!" she blurts out, sort of embarrassed. Can anybody hear her?

She takes another good look around, and interestingly enough, there's no one in sight.

Against her better judgment, she calls out to anyone who will listen. "Hello?! Anybody?!"

" _Damn it Luan. Shut up! That big guy could be around here somewhere!"_

But that's not what really bothers her.

" _Where is she? Did something happen to her?"_

" _I have to find her. She helped me out of my cell, so I owe her that much. Then we can both find a way out of here... Together."_

And with that, she makes her way onto the pier.

* * *

She makes her way through the boardwalk of Silent Hill Beach, and she knows this because of all the signs and T-shirt shops labeled "Silent Hill Beach."

Being Luan Loud, she has fun thinking about how many tourists must've walked on this very boardwalk and thought to themselves, " _Oh, I have no idea where I am. I think it might be Silent Hill Beach. I think I saw something about a Silent Hill Beach. Come to think of it, I think this is Silent Hill Beach. Oh, if only there were a hundred signs that could tell me if I am Silent Hill Beach!"_ Things of that nature.

As entertaining as this is for her, she still can't help but feel worried for the strange girl. It also doesn't help that she still doesn't know how she wound up in Silent Hill, or why, or whether or not her family has any clue that she didn't want to leave them.

 _"I hope they're okay... I hope they don't think I left them... I'd never do anything to hurt my family,"_ she thinks to herself.

It isn't the first time that she's told herself this very statement.

Nevertheless, she disciplines herself. " _I can worry about them later. First, I need to find what's-her-name. Then we can get the heck out this ghost town."_

All the walking around, passing various fliers for tourist attractions and specialty gift shops, it gets tedious. Worse off, there are no indicators that the girl made her way through here.

" _She could be back at the prison for all I know... God, I hope not,"_ she tells herself.

But then a cynical thought enters her mind, and it makes her sad.

" _Maybe she left me behind. Maybe she isn't even worried about me... No, that can't be true. She wasn't exactly charming, but she wouldn't do that, would she?"_

She comes to what appears to be the main entrance of the boardwalk.

Still no sign of what's-her-name.

Luan takes a rest on a bench, debating on whether she should check the rest of the boardwalk, or maybe head into town, or maybe even go back to the prison- as much as she would dislike that.

As she relaxes, she feels a sense of serenity. Despite everything she's experienced, and the shroud of mystery that surrounds it all, there truly is something special about Silent Hill.

It's not too warm, not too cold. The mist can be a nuisance, but it also has a therapeutic quality to it. All the little shops and fliers that she made fun of admittedly have an old timey, Mayberry feel to them. She can see why her parents vacationed here all those years ago.

Of course, there's no chance in hell she'd tell them to come back.

As she leans back on the bench allowing all of these thoughts to race through her synapses, a faint noise disturbs her meditation.

She almost disregards it, but it happens again.

She raises her head to find the culprit. The noise persists, but she can't see what it is from her current position.

She quietly stands up, and creeps over to a nearby pavilion. Something keeps tapping.

She follows the tapping sound over to a rest area, and discovers an out-of-place wheelchair on its side.

" _Someone is here,"_ Luan surmises.

Finally, she figures out where the tapping is coming from.

There is a pitchfork propped up under the doorknob of the men's restroom, and something on the other side keeps nudging to get it open.

" _There's no way it's that girl, and there's no way I'm going over there,"_ Luan tells herself.

Suddenly, the topside wheel of the wheelchair begins spinning.

Luan turns to face it, but there's nothing else wrong.

" _It's not even windy..."_

There's a thud, then a clang.

She turns back to see that the pitchfork prop has come undone, and a humanoid figure makes its way out of the restroom.

It looks like a person, but there's something wrong with- she's guessing it's a "him."

He has a massive, pulsating cyst on his back, and his clothes are stained with blood

She freezes, thoughtlessly watching on as the monster slowly steps toward her.

For a moment, there's paralyzing fear. She can almost feel her heart pounding in her throat.

But then, the image of the Pyramid Head being blasted away flashes in her mind.

" _I did that..."_

She isn't sure how she did, or if she'd be able to again, but there is something that was once hidden deep inside her that will change her life forever.

" _As if my life wasn't screwy enough."_

She starts to back away from the entity at a moderate pace, mindful not to alarm it.

She isn't even sure that it actually notices her. And that'd be great- but she doesn't want to take any chances.

So she keeps backing up, thinking of ways to "turn on" her super power.

She tries clenching, and more clenching, but isn't sure what else to do.

The monster shoots her a look. " _It definitely sees me."_

It lets out a painful yelp, then begins trudging toward her.

Deciding her luck with the Pyramid Head was a fluke, she decides to run.

Only- there's more of the monsters coming in from all directions of the boardwalk.

She pauses, but she has to move fast- the initial threat is almost within reach.

Almost involuntarily, she raises her right hand.

Then, she feels it.

She can feel the same powerful energy from before coursing through her veins.

And she unleashes it- blasting the defiler with a wicked blow that completely obliterates the cyst on its back.

She looks at her palm, and can't help but think of how cool this would be- if she wasn't being targeted by zombie-pimple people.

So, she darts past the restrooms and through the grass, cutting through a path that leads her directly into town.

* * *

The further she gets into the urban central of Silent Hill, the more the gentle mist gives way to thick fog.

She remembers a stupid joke about "trying to catch some fog-"

" _But I MIST!_ "

She smiles. That _is_ a good one.

Not only that, but she has freaking super powers!

" _Oh man, Lincoln's gonna love this! Shoot- everybody's gonna love this! I'm a real life X-Man!"_

But, she still has a conscience.

" _I should be careful though. I don' t want to overdo it. And- I don't know how this is gonna affect me in the long run. It might be dangerous... If it comes down to me or them though- it's gonna be them."_

She arrives at a four way intersection, and takes a left turn down to a road with a couple of thrift shops.

There are some cars parked along the way, but they all appear to be locked. She decides she should figure out where she is and where she'll go after before she occupies one.

" _Definitely on the to-do list though."_

The sudden sound of glass shattering catches her off guard.

She ducks behind a blue coupe, and just barely raises her head.

Two of the humanoid monsters show up on the street in front of her, growling at one another.

" _What are those things on their backs?"_ she wonders. " _They look like slugs... Like, they're possessed by back slugs?"_

She can only see the two, but she can hear more coming in from the east.

So, she decides to take refuge in a nearby bar.

" _Well, I can tell everyone I went to my first bar..."_

She looks around, and everything's copacetic.

" _...And I didn't even get carded."_

She hides behind the booth, and patiently waits for the monsters to disperse.

She can feel her chest tighten.

" _Not now."_

It's been several hours since her last treatment she's guessing, so she adds medicine to her mental checklist.

She cautiously rises up from the booth to look for some water.

" _I could probably drink from the tap, but I don't want to chance growing one of those things on my back. I never was up-to-date with trends."_

She looks through the cabinets, and as she finally finds a bottle of water, a face appears before her from seemingly out of nowhere.

She lets out a loud gasp.

It's the girl with bangs.

She makes a shushing gesture to Luan, then grabs her by the arm to pull her back down into the booth.

It's too late though- something has heard them. They can hear it growling, making its way to the bar.

The girl grabs a glass bottle from the counter, then turns to face Luan.

"Listen," she whispers, "I'm gonna toss this out into the road, then we'll make a run for it."

Luan bursts into a coughing fit. She covers her mouth and does her best to remain quiet, but her face starts to turn red.

"Are you good?" the girl asks her.

When the coughing subsides, Luan takes a drink of water.

"I need medicine," she musters out before choking up again.

"There's a pharmacy a couple blocks up the road, I'll get you there," the girl tells her.

The girls make their way into the back room, and peek out the pane of the door.

Luan can feel her chest and throat tightening- like she has to breathe through a straw. She doesn't say anything though, mostly because she feels like she would choke, but also because she doesn't want to throw the girl off.

Either she knows what she's doing, or...

"Now!" she barks, and they swiftly make their way out the door and onto the street.

The girl halts, and throws the glass bottle as far as she can to the east.

Some of the monsters buy the bait, but a handful aren't falling for it, and they hustle towards the girls.

Luckily, they run faster than the monsters trot.

Unfortunately, Luan struggles to keep up the pace.

"Come on," the girl assertively tells her, and she grabs her by the arm.

" _Stop fucking grabbing me!"_ Luan wants to tell her, but she _did_ sort of come to her rescue.

Sort of.

They finally make it to the pharmacy, but the door is locked.

"Dang it," the girl casually curses.

" _Is she enjoying this?!"_ Luan worries.

The girl looks in every direction, then makes her way around to the back.

There is an open window up high, just barely wide enough for an average teenage girl to squeeze through it.

"Here, I'll boost you up, and you unlock it from inside," the girl tells her.

Luan is able muster out a weak "Okay," and the girl kneels before the wall.

"Put your feet up on my shoulders, and be careful."

Luan places her right foot on her right shoulder, takes her hand, and places her other foot on her other shoulder just as she stands up.

" _Smoother than synchronized swimmers,"_ Luan thinks as she grabs on to the ledge of the window.

 _"Sexier too."_

She's able to pull herself up and over, but falls awkwardly onto the floor of the pharmacy.

* * *

It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as her chest though, so she stands herself up.

" _I can't take this much longer,"_ she thinks, grabbing her sternum.

She moves as fast as she can through the grooming needs aisle, passing over to multivitamins, zigzagging through respiratory needs, making her way over-

" _Respiratory. Albuterol!"_

Rather than heading for the door, Luan heads back to the filling station.

She hurdles herself over the counter, clumsily rises from the floor- almost tripping over her feet, and then rummages through cubbies until she finds an inhaler of Albuterol Sulfate.

She takes a deep huff, and another for good measure.

" _Thank god... I guess I'll take a second to CATCH MY BREATH..."_

She does- until she remembers what she's doing here.

"Shit!" she blurts out, and she stands up- her legs weak like Bambi.

After unlocking the main entrance door via a terminal- which was a real pain in the ass, she makes her way to the foyer. She looks through the glass for any monsters, but there aren't any visible.

Neither is the girl.

"Damn it! I should've opened the door first," she curses.

"Yeah, I probably would have said something about the back door if you did," the girl says, sneaking up behind her.

"Christ!" Luan exclaims, "Make me spaz out again."

The girl paces over to superfluously check out some Hallmark cards. "Did you find what you needed?" She asks.

"Yeah. I think I'll be okay... How long have you been in here anyway?"

"Since you started working on that terminal."

" _Bitch..."_

"So, nice work back there," she coyly tells the girl.

"Thanks," she speciously replies.

And for a moment, nothing is said.

"Did you see anymore of them?" Luan asks.

"I think we lost them," she answers, refusing to make eye contact.

"So... what happened?... I mean, back there at the prison?"

She hesitates to answer.

"Well... you knocked that big guy on his ass, then you blacked out..."

"Yeah..." Luan whimpers, unsatisfied.

She almost doesn't want to ask the follow-up.

"Then what?"

The girl frustratingly sighs, and takes a seat on the floor. She looks up to Luan.

"Those things showed up. I carried you out of there, but-" she looks down.

"You freaked me out back there," she admits.

"...I didn't know I could do that," Luan tells her.

"That doesn't make me feel any better..."

"So... you left me," Luan bemoans, eyes meeting the floor, anxiously rubbing her arm.

The girl rises up. "Look, I was gonna come back for you. I saw all of those things, and nobody is here, and- I just didn't know what to do, okay?..."

Her demeanor changes.

"It doesn't matter anyway..." she somberly tells Luan.

" _Like, we're gonna die anyway? Or what?"_ Luan wonders. She doesn't express this though.

Instead, she decides to extend an olive branch.

"Well, either way, I'm glad you're okay. I think we should work together if we want to make it out of here alive."

The girl, now sitting back down, takes a moment.

"Obviously," she snarkily, yet remorsefully, retorts.

"So, what's your name?" Luan finally asks the girl, fighting her childish fear any longer.

The girl rubs her the back of her neck, her face down to the floor, bangs almost hiding her eyes.

"Maggie."

* * *

 **A few things.**

 **First, I decided early on that Luan probably isn't capable of going around shooting and bludgeoning things to death. I also like the Bioshock games and DBZ, and the idea of being able to just blast lasers and shit out of your fingers. That's why I gave Luan her "super power." (And I'm a total Life is Strange nerd, as if I haven't said that 50 times already;p) I hope this doesn't turn anyone off from the fic... Remember it's Silent Hill and weird stuff happens there.**

 **Also, she probably doesn't have asthma and allergies in the show, but she does in this fic for reasons that will forever remain a mystery...**

 **Second, I try to have Luan make as many stupid jokes as possible, but I'm not going to force it. If you have to force a fart- it's probably shit. I have other LH and SH tropes in mind that I'm going to depict as well, but again, not gonna force it if it gets in the way of good characterization and dialogue.**

 **Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I hope you enjoyed the read, and thanks.**


	5. Carried Away

**More music to consider: Jar of Flies EP from Alice in Chains... Goosebumps.I'll probably start recommending music in every chapter, just cause.**

* * *

"Alright Maggie. Thanks for your help," Luan tells the dark haired girl.

Maggie.

She doesn't seem so invincible now that she has a name.

And, the way she sits down on the floor, doing her best to avoid looking into Luan's eyes...

It's innocent

Of course, she doesn't say "You're welcome." She doesn't say anything.

So, Luan decides not to press her luck. At least she knows her name now, and that's a victory in of itself.

Then she has a thought.

"I'm gonna look around and see what kind of things we could use. Supplies and stuff."

"Cool," the girl- Maggie, says.

" _There's all sorts of crap we could use. But it's pointless if we can't carry it all."_

So, she looks for something to pack said crap into.

She decides to check the back of the store, since she's pretty much seen all the front has to offer.

"Hey Maggie, I'm gonna check the back real quick!" she hollers.

Nothing... Of course...

She doesn't even bother repeating herself.

" _How hard is it to just say something when I fucking-"_

"What?" she hears the girl sort of holler back.

" _No way! It talks and everything!"_

"I'm checking out the back, I'll just be a sec!"

"Okay," she sort of hollers, just a wee bit louder.

"I guess she ain't no HOLLER-BACK girl," Luan quietly sings to herself, then let's out a gentle laugh.

" _Alright Luan... time to get BACK to business,"_ she thinks, hopping over the counter to the filling area again.

She make her way into the break room.

"I wonder what happened to everybody?" she wonders aloud.

She checks a fridge, and there's a note taped to it:

"Food only! No drugs!"

" _If only it were the other way around..."_

She opens the fridge door, and inside are two unopened, plum colored nutrition drinks.

" _Man, I was kind of hoping to find a severed head in here. Oh well, I guess I'll make due with these delicious looking health guru drinks."_

She shuts the door, making a mental note to pick up the drinks before they head out.

She does a 360 spin, looking all around for a bag, or a purse, or-

 _"SpongeBob!"_

Resting on a chair along the wall in a SpongeBob SquarePants backpack. On a counter a few inches away: a plain black Adidas backpack.

"Well shit," she utters.

She makes her way back out to the front with the backpacks in tow.

"Yo Mags!" she shouts.

The girl with boots makes her way around the corner of a shelf, with her trademark blank expression.

"Found these in the break room," Luan tells her, holding a backpack in each hand.

Maggie says nothing.

"I guess you could say I caught a BREAK! Hahaha, get it?!"

Nothing.

" _Eh, fuck you."_ Luan thinks to herself, and she gestures Maggie to catch the black backpack.

Maggie gives her an affirmative nod.

She acts like she's going to toss her the black bag, then tosses her the SpongeBob one.

She catches it. "Seriously?" she says with an eyebrow raised, unimpressed.

"Hahaha! What, don't like SpongeBob?"

"Do I look like I watch Nickelodeon?" Maggie retorts, dead serious.

"But you know what channel it's on?"

"I have a brother, you know?"

" _How was I supposed to know when you never say anything?"_

"Yeah, yeah..." Luan simply replies with a smirk.

"I guess we should pack up?" she adds.

"Actually, I was thinking," Maggie begins, "Maybe we should just rest here tonight. It's gonna get dark before too long, and those things could still be out there."

"You mean the _aliens_?" Luan quips.

Maggie sighs. "Will you let that go?"

"Haha... I can't help it. I'm a ball buster."

She thinks about Maggie's plan for a moment.

" _Well, she's got a point. We should probably wait until morning to head back out... But I want to get home. I know everybody has to be worried about me."_

Still...

"So?..." Maggie says.

"Uhh... yeah. Yeah, we'll wait til tomorrow," she answers, and she takes a seat on the ground.

Maggie does too.

And for a moment, they're quiet. But Luan Loud isn't one to silently reflect, at least not with someone else around.

"I bet you thought you'd never get out there," she tells Maggie.

"What?"

"The prison."

"Oh... I don't know. I know I'm glad to be out of that place."

"And the canned peaches?"

She playfully scoffs, "Yeah, fuck peaches."

"So you really have no idea how you ended up here?"

She waits a moment before she answers.

"Honestly, I don't really care how we got here. I just wanna go home," she answers, and she turns to look to the glass door. Night is fast approaching.

" _She puts on a good front, but I can tell she's weirded out by all of this. Maybe I'm not helping with all my messing around,"_ Luan wonders.

And for a little while, they just sit there quietly.

As she relaxes, Luan can feel the latent power surging inside of her. " _Has it always been there?"_

She holds out her hand, and focuses. She allows a short burst of energy to expel from her fingers, like a plasma globe.

Maggie watches her for a moment.

"I gotta admit, it was pretty wicked to watch you blast that big guy's head off," she comments.

"Yeah? I don't really remember it," Luan replies. "I mean, I know I did, but, it was like- I lost myself."

"Well, you did blackout..."

" _I should probably work on controlling my powers. Do some exercises. Then again, maybe it's best to just leave it-"_

"Just don't get CARRIED AWAY again," she adds with a grin, still looking to the glass door.

"What?" Luan asks.

"Get it? Carried away? Like, I had to carry you out of there?... Never mind," the girl tries to explain, dejected.

" _Wait, did she just tell a joke? Like, a joke-joke? I don't get it... Carried away?... Was it supposed to be a pun? Like- OHHHHHHH!"_

And once she gets it, she really gets it.

She starts laughing hysterically. It's the best laugh she's had in a good while.

She gets louder and louder, her belly starts to hurt, and she even snorts.

And for a little bit, Maggie joins her. She's not as loud, not as enthusiastic, but she laughs.

Until it gets old.

"Alright... it wasn't that funny..."

"It's HILARIOUS!" Luan insists, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Alright, seriously. That's enough... Luan..."

She stands up, still laughing, trying to catch her breath. She wipes a tear from her eye. "Oh wow, that was a good one Mags..."

"Apparently..." she snarkily comments.

"Alright... Alright..." Luan sputters, and she takes a deep breath.

"Whew... I needed that."

Finally, she recovers. But she can't help but feel really giddy now.

Maggie isn't as amused.

Still, there's work to be done before their morning excursion.

"Alright, listen. I think I'm gonna test my powers a little bit, try and get a better sense of how to use them and what not," Luan explains.

"Alright," Maggie simply replies. "I think I'll start getting stuff ready for tomorrow."

And they do just as they said they would do.

While Maggie stocks up on Fritos and Kit Kats, Luan sets up some items to practice blasting.

"Don't kill yourself, and don't be too loud," Maggie requests.

"Don't be LOUD? But then I'd just be LUAN?!" she jokes. "Hahaha, get it?!"

"Shoot me," Maggie responds, obviously trying to hide a smile.

"Ahhh, c'mon," Luan says, slightly blushing.

" _She's not so bad..."_

Luan stays busy with target practice while Maggie prepares dinner: Microwavable, dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets.

Loud finally blasts a box of Cheez-Its from several yards away after several attempts. "Bullseye! I am officially the finger blast master! Or maybe-"

"Don't say it," Maggie says, nearly catching her off guard.

"...The Finger bang master!"

"You're an idiot," Maggie says.

"You're just jealous. Don't make me finger bang you!"

Maggie gets wide eyed. "Uhm... think about what you just said..."

"Hahaha! I'm just fuckin' with ya!" Luan responds with a laugh.

After enduring Luan's torment, she and Maggie dine on the nuggets.

Maggie absolutely devours her share, along with half a bag of Funions.

"Dang girl, hungry?" Luan comments.

"You try eating nothing but canned peaches for nine days straight."

"As my sister Lori would say: Literally."

Maggie wipes the crumbs off of her face, and stands up. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth again."

"Yeah, I think I will too."

So, she follows her to the restroom.

Maggie places a dollop of toothpaste on her brush, nearly dropping it on the grey Maine T-Shirt she changed into.

Before joining her, Luan decides to take care of some business in the nearest stall.

She doesn't see the way Maggie looks intently into the mirror, almost losing herself.

As if she likes who she sees staring back at her.

Luan steps out of the stall, and occupies the sink next to the melancholy girl.

She looks at her and gives her a weak smile, but she's run out of smart ass remarks for the time being.

So she readies her brush and takes care of that, around the same time as Maggie- who seems to be taking forever.

As she rinses off her brush, Maggie speaks up.

"You were the girl in that stall that day."

Luan isn't sure how to respond.

"Uhm... Yeah, that was me," she answers with another weak smile.

"What were you doing in there?" Maggie adds.

"Well... I was just kind of over everything that day, ya know?"

Maggie doesn't say anything.

Luan gives her a moment, but deduces that she isn't satisfied.

"What about you?" she asks her in return.

"Uhh... Same. Over everything..."

She meets Luan's eyes for a moment, then makes her way out of the restroom and back to the spot they set up on the floor.

Luan follows her out, and takes a seat on the floor a comfortable distance away from her.

"Can I ask you something?" she inquires.

"I guess..."

"Why'd you drop Theatre?"

"I didn't drop it... I just stopped going..."

"After one day?"

"I think you would've liked it. Everybody's pretty chill in there, and Mrs. Zyla is really funny," Luan adds.

" _Maybe I shouldn't have asked her that..."_

Maggie sighs, but meets Luan's eyes again.

"I don't play well with others," she sternly answers.

"Fair enough," Luan says after a pause.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" she asks, changing the subject.

"What'd you have in mind?" Maggie asks her.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you," she says, trying to keep a gentle expression.

"I'll do whatever you say."

Luan raises an eyebrow. "Ah come on. That's not how it works. We're a team here."

"I'm not much of a survivalist," Maggie bemoans.

Luan refrains from getting confrontational, so she instead says the first thing that comes to mind.

"Well, those cars back by the bar? Maybe we could try and get one of them running. I thought about that earlier, but with all the excitement going on..."

There's a pause.

"If you say so," Maggie responds, almost apologetically.

 _"Alright, I think I've grilled her enough for one day. I should probably get some sleep,"_ Luan decides.

She stands up and lets out a semi-fake yawn. "Well... I reckon it's about that time... I'll make my bed somewhere else if you want."

"It's whatever you want to do," Maggie tells her.

" _So... 'leave me the fuck alone.' Got it."_

She picks up her things to make a bed, "Well, good night Maggie," she tells her.

With that, she makes her over to the filling station and sets up her spot just outside.

"Good night," Maggie quietly utters, and she too lies down for the night.

* * *

"I've heard the talk. I know what people are saying. People are saying that I have tiny hands. That is completely untrue- completely false. I have enormous hands- HUUUGE! I can't even fit my hands in my pockets. Look, I'll show you!" the President says, stepping out from behind the podium.

Luan finds herself sitting on her couch, watching her TV, in her living room.

"I'm home!" she exclaims, jumping up from her seat.

"Holy shit, how'd I get back here?!"

"Language Luan-" she hears her father say.

She turns to see Mr. and Mrs. Loud, with Lily in tow, all smiles, making their way down the stairs.

"Mom! Dad!" she shouts, and she rushes over to hug them. "You're okay!"

"Well sure kid, why wouldn't we be?" Lynn Sr. says.

"Now go get ready for dinner, and stop saying 'shit' around the baby!" Rita cheerfully tells her.

"Hahaha, sure thing Mom!"

She rushes into the kitchen, and sees all of her other siblings gathered around: Lori, Leni, Luna, Lynn, Lincoln, Lana, Lola, Lisa, and-

"Did you catch that fog?" Lucy says, sneaking up behind her like only she can.

"Whew! You got me Luce!"

"Sigh..."

"Dude! Where's your colors?" Luna asks her.

"Colors? What colors?" Luan questions.

"For Pride Month, dude!" the older sister elaborates.

"Uhh... I left 'em in my other skirt," Luan answers, not even sure she knows what she means.

"Where ya sittin' sis?" Lynn asks.

"Uhm... I'll probably just go sit in the stall," Luan tells her with a pout.

"Oh, that's right... You're not in this family anymore..." Leni eerily says.

"What would Ace Savvy do?" Lincoln interjects.

"Guys, what are you talking about? It's me, Luan!"

The lights begin to dim. She can feel her world closing in on her. Everyone starts speaking all at once.

"Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally- Hang on boo boo bear- Literally. Literally..." Lori repeats.

"Bye!" Leni cheerfully says, waving.

"Sorry Dude..." Luna apologizes.

"Yeah, sorry sis." Lynn adds.

"That would've been funnier if you'd had fallen on your butt..." Lincoln comments.

"Sigh... I mist..." Lucy sighs.

"Don't forget to write!" Lola taunts.

"Are you gonna finish your peaches?" Lana asks.

"You should probably go see a physician about your 'finger bang' dilemma," Lisa suggests.

Luan makes her way back into the living room, but it's all rusted and dark now.

Under a spotlight, Lily sits playing in a shopping cart.

"Lily!" Luan cries, and she runs to grab her.

"Poo... POO..." the infant utters with a demonic voice, and her head begins spinning rapidly.

The shopping cart does a 180 spin, and takes off into a black abyss as Lily stares and laughs at Luan.

As she stands there completely dumbfounded, she can hear her parents from upstairs.

"Yes, we should definitely go back to Silent Hill someday," Lynn Sr. says.

"You promised you'd take me there again someday, but you never did," Rita bemoans.

Then, the man on the television steps out of the box.

"See how big my hands are, LUAN?!"

* * *

Luan wakes from a deep sleep.

"Lily..." she groans.

She almost forgot she was on the floor of a pharmacy in monster infested Silent Hill.

She visualizes herself jumping to her feet, flipping double middle fingers Stone Cold style, and shouting, " _I will never sleep again! Fuck you, sleep!_ "

But she doesn't. Maggie is probably still asleep... and even if she wasn't, she wouldn't anyway.

So she delicately stands up and does a little stretching before making her way over to Maggie's spot.

But she isn't there.

"Maggie?!"

Luan makes her way around the store calling for her. She checks around the foyer, then through the aisles, and even checks the bathroom. _"She's not here?! Where is she?!"_

She overhears some indistinct noises from the break room. _"Please don't be a zombie... Please don't be a zombie..."_ she repeats to herself.

She quietly hurdles over the counter, and tip toes to the door frame.

Sitting at the table, Maggie treats herself to a Lunchables pizza.

"Whew..." Luan sighs, and she makes her way inside.

"Sup Mags?" she happily asks.

"Jesus!" Maggie exclaims, nearly falling out of her chair.

"Sorry!"

She just shoots her an impatient look.

"Did you hear me?" Luan asks her.

"Hear you what?"

"Uh... Nothing..."

Luan takes a seat.

"Eww, these things are gross," she comments, referring to the other girl's snack.

Her grimace is now one of annoyance.

"So... how long you been up?" Luan asks.

"Like, twenty minutes," Maggie replies, loosening up and taking a bite out of one of her saucers.

"Man, I had the craziest dream," Luan says, certainly not hoping Maggie would ask-

"...About?" she sighs.

"Well, my parents were saying weird shit about Silent Hill, and Donald Trump was on a mission to prove how big his hands are, and my baby sister was in a shopping cart being all exorcist, and my one sister was being all creepy and happy, and my brother was like, 'Fall on your butt,' and Lori's all like, 'Literally, Literally..."

It's an awful lot for the other girl to take in at once.

"Uhm... how many sisters do you have?"

"Nine. And a brother," she answers with a grin.

"Right..." the confused girl says, finishing her snack.

"Yeah, there's always something interesting going on at the Loud house."

"I bet."

"So, what's your story?" Luan asks her.

"What?"

"You know, tell me about yourself."

"Uhm... It's just me and my brother... And our mom... And our step-führer..." she answers with a disgusted look.

"Oh wow. That's a nice way to put it."

"Ehh, he's not so bad," she adds. "Not my favorite person either, but whatever."

Luan tries to formulate a follow-up, but Maggie changes the subject.

"Day's gonna break soon."

"Right," Luan says, and they leave the table.

After taking turns freshening up in the bathroom, the girls meet in the foyer to prepare their leave.

They have all of their supplies spread out on the floor for one last inventory check.

"Let's see... Bread, check. Lunch meat, check. Gum, check. Canned peaches..."

Luan gives Maggie a smile to make sure she's paying attention.

She just gives her an amused huff.

"Alright, no peaches. Gawdy nutrition drinks-"

"Sorry if I'm a bitch," Maggie interrupts.

Luan is taken back. " _Who are you and what have you done with Maggie?!"_

"Uhm... it's cool," she replies. " _It's cool?! You friggin' dolt..."_

"I told you I'm not a people person."

"...Well, I'm barely a person. So I'd say we're good," Luan jokes.

"You're such a nub," she playfully retorts.

"Hahaha! Alright, I think we've got all the crap we need. I guess I'm ready whenever you are," Luan says with a smile.

"Uhm... Actually, I wanna go grab something real quick," Maggie tells her.

"Oh, alright. Don't get CARRIED AWAY," Luan jokes.

Maggie just gives her a look, a good look, and heads off.

Luan starts packing up their supplies, and decides to try some of the nutrition drink she's collected. She peels the plastic off of it, and takes a swig.

"Ugh! That's awful!" she blurts out. " _But take another drink!"_

And she does as she makes her way over to the nearest trash can. There's nothing in the bin except for a wadded up piece of paper, which peaks her interest.

"Hmm," she murmurs as she tosses the plastic in and takes the wad out.

The paper reads: " **1-800-273-8255**."

" _Holy shit..."_

The Suicide Hotline number.

Maggie makes her way over with a glass bottle of pop. "I found it. I just-"

Luan looks back at her, and her demeanor changes completely.

"I know this number," Luan tells her.

Maggie says nothing, but trudges off, clearly upset.

 _"Oh shit!"_

She rushes to catch up with her.

"Did you-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Maggie cuts her off. "I don't want to talk about anything!"

She equips her black backpack, and trudges over to the doors.

" _Nice going, Luan..."_

She takes the SpongeBob backpack and slings it over her shoulders. " _I'm such an idiot. I shouldn't have been such an asshole to her... Who knows what she's going through."_

She meets Maggie over by the entrance, who is still clearly pissed off. She won't even look in Luan's direction.

And she hardly knows how to handle it.

Finally, she speaks up. "...Are you ready?"

Maggie doesn't even answer. She just makes her way out the door without looking back.

* * *

 **Poor Maggie:( How will this revelation affect things between her and Luan?**

 **On a lighter note... Yay! Guest stars! I felt like I needed to put the Loud family in here somewhere, so why not a dream sequence? (That's so tacky Pillow...) Yes, yes it is.**

 **Also, I'm by no means a political person, but after watching the season premiere of AHS, I decided that Luan seems like the kind of person who would be. I promise not to let that stuff rear its ugly head ever again in my work.**

 **I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope you had a lot of fun reading it.**

 **Until next time, true believers.**


	6. Maggie May

**I'm going to shamelessly admit that I would like some feedback on how you guys like things. The story, how the characters are depicted, anything really would be great. I can take criticism too, just so you guys know.**

 **So please comment and tell all your friends how wonderful this fic (and really this site) is if you feel inclined, and as always, bless your heart for reading. Thanks!**

* * *

" _Hey Mags, I'm sorry for not giving you your space. I shouldn't have bothered you with all those questions, or made so many jokes, or went through the trash can... I should've known you'd have the number for the suicide hotline wadded up in there. And I should've known you wouldn't want to talk about. And please don't kill yourself. And... god you're so self-righteous Luan..."_

She drives herself crazy thinking of what she could say to Maggie to ease the tension, but as the Rick Springfield song said, " _the point is probably moot_."

" _I miss Luna... I miss everybody..."_

About ten minutes has passed since the girls left the pharmacy, but it's felt like forever. If there's one thing Luan can't stand, it's silence.

And that's how it's been, Luan awkwardly following Maggie as she trudges ahead all huffy and puffy to the west.

Luan finally speaks up. "Uhm... Hey, the cars are that way," she says, pointing to the east.

As if she'll turn around to see this.

"Maggie..."

"We'll find more," she groans.

" _God, she is such a typical moody teenager! It's not like I even did anything wrong!... Just bare with her Luan... You need her to make it out of this..."_

 _"Or maybe she needs you..."_

They come to a street with a shoe store, a hair salon, a Papa John's, and a video game store.

" _Video games are stupid... Especially those Survival Horror games Lincoln plays..."_ Luan thinks.

" _Jeez, I think Maggie's grumpiness is rubbing off on me."_

But then she remembers that Maggie wasn't so bad before she found out about the phone number. Actually, she seems cool. She's definitely a deviation from her colorful sisters and Theatre classmates, but there was a certain chemistry between them.

She also thinks about how she feels when she's down, and wonders if it's always like this for Maggie.

" _I shouldn't be so hard on her... I just wish she would talk to me..."_

Maggie suddenly stops, like a deer out in the open.

Luan follows suit.

Up ahead in the distance, they can see a silhouette maneuvering through the fog.

Maggie turns back towards Luan, and gestures her to go into the Papa John's.

So, they quietly make their way inside the building.

Everything appears to be copacetic in the store.

"Did you see it?" Luan asks her.

"Didn't you?" Maggie fires back.

"I mean- was it one of them?"

"I don't want to find out," she answers.

When they clam up, the sound of static becomes more audible.

"What is that?" Maggie wonders aloud.

They follow the sound into the kitchen.

Sitting on a counter is a small radio, buzzing like it's picking up something.

The girls look at one another, and Luan shrugs.

So, Maggie picks it up, and adjusts the dial.

"So?..." Luan wonders.

"I think it's broken," she replies, and the static increases.

The door slams. The entity from outside, one of the "Puppets-" as Luan mentally refers to them as, has followed them inside. It lets out a growl, and makes its way for the girls.

Almost without thinking about it, Luan fires a bolt of energy at the monster.

It stuns the creature, but it wasn't enough to put it down.

She fires another bolt, but this one misses as the creature side steps.

"Luan!" Maggie cries.

"I'm trying!" she raises her hand for another blow, but the creature fast approaches.

As it reaches out to grab Luan, a frying pan flies past her head and makes contact with its head.

"Now!" Maggie shouts.

Luan does a back step, and places her hands together for another concentrated blast.

This one fells the monster.

As it meets the floor, the large cyst-like sac on it's back disintegrates.

"Jeez..." Luan gasps.

"Are you good?" Maggie asks her.

"Yeah... thanks..."

"... _Thanks for almost knocking my head off._ "

Maggie turns her attention again towards the radio. The static has stopped.

"That's weird," she comments.

"What?" Luan questions.

"Nothing..."

" _Right... Nothing..."_

"Let's get moving," she adds.

"Lead the way Maggie May," Luan says, sort of accidentally.

She can only imagine the look on her face though, as she stubbornly looks forward.

* * *

" _You just had it to say it..."_

Of all the times to get a song stuck in her head, this may be up there among the worst.

 _"Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you! It's late September and I really should be- back at school!"_

It takes all of her strength not to break into song.

 _"Maggie I couldn't have tried- any more!"_

After leaving the Papa John's, they cut through an alley, and Maggie apparently made the nonverbal decision to keep cutting through alleys, because that's all they've done.

" _...And that's what really hurts!"_

The radio Maggie collected begins acting up again.

"Why'd you take that thing anyway?" Luan asks her.

Maggie shushes her just as she finishes speaking, and she stands still for a moment.

" _You picked up that radio, and we don't know where to go, Oh Maggie you've lost your mind, even more!"_ Luan mentally sings.

Slowly, the girl with boots makes her way to the right, then the left, as if following the static.

Luan loses her patience.

"What are you doing?" she yaps.

"Be quiet!" the girl retorts.

She leads them to the back of an insurance building, and they take cover behind a pallet propped up against a wire fence.

On the path ahead of them is a construction site, where several of the Puppets congregate.

"Oh shit," Luan utters.

"Let's find another way around," Maggie suggests.

However, as they prepare to turn around, they realize that another of the creatures is loitering not far behind them.

Maggie turns down her radio.

"Dang it," she curses.

They silently plan their next move, and Luan looks back to the site.

There are three of the creatures wandering around the ground area, near a large puddle of water.

On a nearby scaffolding, another monster hovers above them.

Maggie speaks up. "Okay, when you get an opening, kill that guy behind us, and we'll make a run for it."

"No way. There could be more of them," Luan whispers.

"Well what the fuck then?!" Maggie fires back.

Luan quickly thinks over her strategy once more.

"Okay, see that puddle in the middle of all of them?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, if we can get them all to move towards it, I could fry them all with one blast," she speculates.

"That is so stupid, what makes you think that would even work?!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure my powers are like- electricity, so we should try it."

"Screw you! There's no way that'll work!"

Luan scowls at her. " _We'll just see."_

She unequips her backpack and sets it on the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Maggie cries.

"I'm gonna find a way to draw them to that puddle. I know this will work."

Maggie scowls back. Then, she removes her backpack too.

She runs through it, and pulls out the glass bottle of pop.

"I knew we would need this," she tells her, and she removes the cap to take a quick drink.

She offers it to Luan, and she does the same.

"Uhm, here, you seem to know you way around these things," she tells Maggie, handing it back to her.

"Don't- miss-" Maggie sternly tells her, and she prepares to throw.

She looks to Luan, who returns an affirmative nod.

Then, she tosses the bottle just beside the large puddle, and it shatters.

The three monsters growl, and even the monster circulating the perimeter makes its way over. The four of them all make their way toward the commotion, and finally, the four of them are standing in the puddle.

"Anytime now," Maggie tells Luan.

And with that, she fires a blast at them.

She just barely hits the rim of the puddle, but all four of the monsters shriek.

But it only stuns them.

Realizing this, Luan quickly jumps out from their spot.

"Luan!" Maggie cries.

She hurries to get closer, and fires a more powerful blast at the puddle.

The monsters continue shrieking until they all fall to the ground.

Luan stops herself, and she becomes winded.

Unfortunately, the creature from above begins making it's way down the scaffolding.

Maggie notices this, and grabs an apple from her bag. She carefully aims for the monster, and connects with a strong throw to its head- knocking it off the scaffolding and seemingly defeating it.

She makes her way to Luan, who is still recovering.

"Are you okay?!" she cries.

She brushes her off, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

From out of nowhere, another monster appears before them, letting out a terrible yell.

"Shit!" Maggie blurts out, and the monster begins lunging towards them.

Luan desperately readies herself, and fires at the creature with all of her strength.

She connects, felling the enemy in the nick of time.

It's almost too much for her.

She falls to her knees.

"Luan!" Maggie cries, and she comes to her side.

"I'm- I'm okay, I just need a minute," she insists.

"Are you sure? Do you need your medicine?"

"I'm fine! Just help me up," she tells her.

Maggie takes her hand, and helps the girl to her feet.

Luan looks her in the eyes, panting.

"That- was a BLAST... Get it?!"

"A pun? SHOCKING," Maggie responds with a chuckle.

They share a weak laugh.

"Seriously, are you good?" she asks her.

"I'm fine dude. I guess the radio's not the only way picking up STATIC. Hahaha!"

"Yeah, you're good," Maggie sighs.

* * *

"So... you're saying the radio picks up a signal from the monsters?" Luan replies.

Maggie huffs. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

" _ALIENS!"_ Luan wants to blurt out, but she holds back. Maggie's meeting her in the middle, so she'll return the favor.

"Well, so far your theories are better than other people's facts," she tells her.

"As far as I'm concerned, this thing saved our lives. So I don't care what you think," Maggie confidently declares.

"Hey, don't CHANNEL your energy towards me, Hahaha!"

" _Weak. Weak as fuck."_

Maggie's scorn supports this.

They continue traversing through the desolate streets of Silent Hill, but have no luck finding any vehicles.

" _I knew we should've went the other way..."_ Luan tells herself.

Then, it happens again.

" _Oh no... Not again..."_

She tries to fight it, but it's become too much for her to handle.

 _"No! I can fight this... I have the POWER!"_

She settles for humming. Singing would be too obnoxious, and whistling would just be downright annoying.

So she hums.

After a short while, Maggie catches on. She waits a little bit to see if she'll stop, but she's not very patient.

"Luan..." she calmly but assertively says.

"Sorry. I just really got that song stuck in my head."

She scornfully glances at her, but then relaxes her face and turns away.

"I bet you get that all the time," Luan speculates.

"Get what?" she asks, confused.

"Maggie May?"

"What?!"

"Rod Stewart- Maggie May... You do know what I'm talking about, right?"

"No?!"

"Ohhhh... Dude!"

"What?!" She stops in her tracks now, clearly invested in what Luan has to say.

Maybe she's annoyed, or maybe she's curious.

Maybe both.

"Oh my God, I can't believe you've never heard that song! I mean, it's an old song, but still!... Wait, you do like music don't you?"

"Of course I like music," the girl states, picking back up again. "I just don't know that song."

" _Don't do it Luan. Have mercy on the poor girl. She's been through enough. That last thing she needs to hear is your terrible singing..."_

Luan Loud is her own worst enemy.

"Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you!" she starts singing.

Maggie halts.

"It's late September and I really should be- back at school!"

"What are you doing?" she asks, looking at her with an animated expression.

"I know I keep you amused, but I feel I'm being used- Oh Maggie I couldn't have tried... any more!"

"Please stop..."

"You led me away from home-"

"Luan!" She can't help but smile, and blush.

"Just to save me from being alone-"

Just as Maggie begins to enjoy herself, the feeling is quickly displaced by fear and dread.

"You stole my heart and that's what really hurts!" Luan finishes, really giving that last note her all.

"Luan!" Maggie grabs her, completely serious.

She points up to the second story window of a nearby house, and watching them from above is the same terrifying, ghostly figure from the prison.

Again, the girls become paralyzed. The figure is so oppressive, so daunting.

Finally, Luan musters the strength to break free from its gaze.

"Maggie- Maggie we need to get out of here," she tells her.

Maggie is able to come to, but she can't fight the overwhelming fear she feels.

"Come on!" Luan yells, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.

They get far away from the house before Maggie forces herself out of Luan's grip.

"Wait," she tells her.

"For what?!"

"Just- I need a minute..."

Luan scans the area, and things appear to be peaceful for the moment.

"Okay," she simply says, and the girls catch their breath.

Luan _tries_ to anyway, but the running was too much for her.

She takes off her backpack and sets it on the ground, and grabs her inhaler from inside.

She takes two good puffs, and places it back inside.

"Are you okay?" Maggie apologetically asks.

"Yeah... Are you?" Luan asks in return.

The girl takes a moment. "I don't know what it is about that- thing... But it scares the hell out of me."

"It kind of looks like a woman to me," Luan guesses. "And yeah, she's fucking creepy."

"No, it's like- like she was looking at me. Like she knows who I am..." Maggie tries to explain.

Luan takes a breath. "Well, I'm not afraid. And you don't have to be either..."

Maggie meets her eyes. There's so much pain in them, so much fear.

But there's something else too. Something wonderful and magical that makes Luan's heart beat just a little bit faster and a little bit harder.

"I'm here for you Maggie," she confides in her.

And just like that, the fear and the pain seem to go away, if only for a second.

That "something wonderful, magical" blossoms into something even more intense.

It's comfort. It's trust.

And for a little while, they just look into one another's eyes.

But then, she isn't meeting Luan's eyes.

She's looking past her, not at her.

Luan turns around, and in the distance, there's a silhouette.

"Hide," Maggie whispers, pulling her over to the corner of a nearby building.

They anxiously wait, but they hear nothing.

On top of that, Maggie's radio isn't emitting static.

She carefully pulls it out of her pocket, and makes sure it's on. It is.

She looks to Luan, and she isn't sure what to think.

Luan starts to just barely nudge her way to take a look back, and she hears a smacking sound.

Maggie dropped the radio.

Before she can even think of cursing, a voice calls out.

"Hello?!"

The girls did not expect that. Nor do they know what to do.

"Is somebody out there?!"

They decide not to say or do anything until they're absolutely sure it's safe to come out.

But, there's no follow-up.

Luan looks to Maggie, and she shrugs.

" _What the hell is going on?"_

After a few seconds, they can hear it again.

They can't quite make out what he or she is saying, but they can hear talking.

So, Luan nudges herself out again.

In the middle of the road, a tall brunette is standing idly, seemingly speaking to someone.

But there's no one else there.

Finally, Luan decides to act.

"I'm gonna go check it out."

"What? Are you nuts?" Maggie argues.

"Just stay here, I may need you to flank her."

"Luan-"

She makes her way out from the corner, and creeps over to the girl.

"...And that's all I know. I really wish you would say something mister. I don't like the way you're looking at me!" she can hear the brunette say.

Upon further inspection, it would appear that the girl is talking to the corpse of a Puppet.

" _Uhm... I should walk away..."_ Luan thinks, but again, she is her own worst enemy.

At the absolute most inopportune time, she catches a whiff of pollen, and lets out a nasty sneeze.

"AHHHH!" the girl screams, jumping and nearly falling on her butt.

"Woah! Shhhh shhh shhh! Easy!" Luan shushes. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

The girl recovers, and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Whew... You really got me. Like, I almost peed a little!" she reveals.

She smiles, then frowns. She turns around and looks down, then turns back around, smiling again.

"Just almost."

Luan just stands there with her jaw hanging open, flabbergasted.

"Hi," the girl simply says, still smiling.

"Uhm... Hi," Luan dubiously responds.

"I'm Bady!" the girl shares.

"Uhm... Hi, Bady... I'm-" She turns back to see if Maggie has come out, and she has.

As she cautiously approaches, the more clearly Luan can see the clueless expression on her face.

" _That must be how I look..."_

"Uhm... are you okay?" Bady asks, concerned.

"Uhm... Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hi Fine, nice to meet you!" Bady cheerfully says, extending her hand for a shake.

Maggie catches up to Luan, who skeptically chuckles.

"Ha- Haha- Good one?!"

"Uhm, Luan?" Maggie utters.

"Luan?! I thought you said your name was Fine?" Bady questionably asks.

And with that, the three girls have many more questions than answers.

* * *

 **Ewww, not an original character!**

 **But seriously, there's a few good reasons I introduced Bady to the fold, and I think you'll appreciate her in the long run.**

 **That being said, Leni is my favorite Loud House character. She's just so darn funny and cute:) But... I didn't want to have her tagging along with Luan and Maggie for various reasons, so I compromised by giving her a substitute in Bady.**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading, and if you're curious as to what this chapter's recommended soundtrack is- you really weren't paying attention, were you?**


	7. Fools' Paradise

**Today's mandatory listening: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol and Linger by The Cranberries. Two to make up for the chapters where I foolishly didn't do this.**

* * *

"So, you're Luan, and you're Maggie. Right?"

"Yup!" Luan cheerfully answers.

"Okay, I got it." Bady confidently replies, clapping.

"I'm really glad I found you guys! I was getting kind of scared walking around by myself... and this fog..."

"Yeah, it's pretty rough," Luan comments.

She's tried her best to explain the situation to the naive stranger, and for the most part- she gets it.

Luan and Maggie woke up in a prison, almost got killed by a big dude with a metal pyramid thing for a head, got chased around by some slug people monsters, and Luan has asthma, allergies, and super powers.

Luan and Bady have done the talking. Maggie just stands quietly next to Luan, and Luan isn't sure how to read her.

" _Is she scared, nervous, bored, or what?"_

"So, we've told our story. What's up with you?" Luan asks the girl.

"Well... I was born on November 30, 2000, my mom's name is Dawn- she worked in a glue factory before she met my Dad-"

"Uhm, Bady-"

"Wait- Maybe she was still a stripper..."

"Bady!"

"Luan?"

"I meant how did you get here?"

"Hmm... Well, I'm not sure to be honest. I just sort of woke up here..."

Finally, Maggie speaks up.

"Where did you wake up, exactly?"

"Uhm... some place called the Dumvph?"

"Dumvph?" Maggie repeats, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah... there were all these chairs, and little booths with windows, and a bunch of 'Don't Text and Drive' posters."

"Hahaha! Oh man, you mean the DMV?" Luan speculates.

"Yeah! That's it! Or, that's how it was spelled anyway... I thought maybe it was German."

Before they interrogate her any further, Luan decides to discuss things with her partner in crime.

"Uhm, will you excuse us for a second?" she tells the girl, and she pulls Maggie to the side.

"Hey- woah!"

"What was that about?" Maggie asks.

Before Luan can answer, she notices that Bady has followed them.

"Uhm, Bady, I kind of need to talk to Maggie in private."

"You said you'd only be a second?"

"Oh, hahaha! Sorry, we'll be a little bit. I'll come get you when we're done," Luan explains.

"Oh, okay!" she giddily responds.

Again, Luan pulls Maggie to the side.

Before she can get a word out though, she begins laughing hysterically.

"What?!" Maggie questions.

"Hahahaha... Woah nelly that girl is dumb!"

"Yes... she's not the brightest-"

"No... that girl's so stupid, she uses Old Spice for cooking!"

"Luan..."

"Okay... Okay... Wait, one more!"

"Luan!"

"She's so stupid, she plays craps with toilet paper!"

" _Ha Ha_ \- what were you-"

"She thinks Tiger Woods is a forest!"

As she kills over from her own joke, Maggie just stares at her with her trademark frown.

"Alright, alright, I'm done." she pants. When she stops laughing, she begins to elaborate.

"What do you think?" she asks.

"What do you mean, 'what do I think?"

"I mean, you think we can trust her?" Luan explains.

Maggie looks at the girl, and she is trying to get a signal on her cellphone.

"She's... a liability..." Maggie answers.

"Oh come on," Luan says, and she looks over to the girl too.

" _Boy, she really is an idiot isn't she?"_

Still, Luan Loud doesn't believe that anyone is a lost cause, and she couldn't live with herself if she didn't try to help this dimwitted girl.

"She won't make it on her own."

"Why'd you even ask me what I thought?" Maggie asks.

"Because- I don't know. I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you?"

"And if I say it's not?"

"Maggie..."

"We can't just leave her..."

"Luan..." she worryingly says.

"Look, we'll all find a car and make our way out of here, and everything will be fine. She might even know where to find one."

Maggie pouts. "Right..."

Luan still can't quite read Maggie.

" _She almost seems sad. I don't get it?"_

"Hey guys! Is everything okay?!" Bady shouts.

"Yeah! Coming!" Luan hollers back.

"You comin'?" she asks Maggie, the concern radiating off her face.

"Yeah," Maggie woefully responds, and the girls make there over to her.

"What were you laughing about, Luan?" Bady innocently asks.

"What? Oh, nothing. Maggie just tells really good jokes," Luan lies.

"Really?! I love jokes! Tell me one!"

"Luan..."

"Uhm, maybe later Bady. We wanted to ask you something."

"Oh, okay."

 _"It's adorable how simple she is,"_ Luan thinks.

"We were wondering if maybe you've seen a car anywhere?"

"Sure I have! I've seen all sorts of cars!"

"Really? Where?"

"School, the mall, my mom's car, my dad's-"

"No, no Bady. I mean have you seen any cars around here?"

"Hmm... Let me think..."

" _We're gonna be here a while..."_

Bady suddenly perks up, as if the metaphorical light bulb has gone off over her head.

"Oh! I know! The Dumvph! I mean- the DMV!... There were all sorts of cars there!"

"Awesome! Could you get us there?"

"I think so. It isn't very far from here... I think."

Luan looks at Maggie, and she shrugs a careless shrug.

"Alright, lead the way Bady."

* * *

"Hey, another Green Kiwi! That's like, the third one! We should get some fro-yo," Bady states.

"No Bady, that's the same one. We've already been here," Luan sighs.

"Oh... Darn..."

Luan rubs her brow, and Maggie just lets out a sigh. They're clearly not amused.

"I'm really sorry guys, I'm just not good with directions..."

"It's okay Bady... Uhm, I've got an idea. Why don't you retrace your steps?" Luan suggests.

The girl looks confused, but then perks up.

"Okay! Do you have a marker?"

"...What?"

"So I can retrace my steps?"

"No Bady..." Luan says, palming her face.

"Uhm, Bady... I think what Luan is trying to say is... Like, try looking for stuff you saw, like, after the DMV- and follow it back there," Maggie suggests.

"I can do that!" she declares.

She takes a look around.

"Ooh! I saw that big music thingy!" she says, pointing to the sign for a music store.

"Good, let's see what else we can find," Maggie adds.

"Okay!" she says, and begins happily leading the way again.

"Nice save. I didn't think I could take much more," Luan comments.

"Me either, I speak a little Bady," Maggie admits.

 _"There's a lot more to this girl than I thought..."_ Luan thinks.

The girl leads them to the music store, and takes another gander at her surroundings. She does a joyful hop, apparently rediscovering another landmark.

"Eeeek! I remember that yield sign!" she shrieks, pronouncing yield "yiled."

"Yield," Luan corrects her, "But good!"

Bady frowns, and begins rubbing her arm anxiously. "Uhm... I have to tell you guys something..."

The other girls look at one another, and hesitate before Maggie asks "What?"

"I... I don't know what yield means..." she confesses, still pronouncing it "yiled."

Luan puts her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Maggie shoots her a serious expression, then turns to Bady.

"Slow down," she answers.

Bady's demeanor shifts from guilty to confused.

"I... don't... know... what... yield... means..." she slowly repeats, enunciating every syllable.

Luan's face turns red from holding in her laughter, and even Maggie can't help but smile.

"No, Bady. Yield means slow down," she elaborates.

"Oh. Well why don't they just write 'slow down' on the sign?"

"Who knows?" Maggie pitifully responds. She turns her attention back to Luan, who is still trying to keep her cool.

"Don't give yourself an asthma attack," she quips.

"Sorry- I- yeah- asthma," Luan sputters.

"Okay Bady, see anything else?" Maggie asks.

The brunette hums as she looks around. "Oh poo," she utters.

"What's wrong?" Luan asks after finally regaining her composure.

"I don't remember what we're looking for," she confesses.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Luan blurts out.

"Luan-" Maggie groans.

"I'm sorry, okay! I'm just really stressed out! I don't do well under pressure!" Bady pitifully expresses.

"I'm sorry, Bady. We should've been more considerate," Luan apologizes.

"...It's okay. I do remember seeing that blue sign," she tells them, pointing to it.

And it reads: "Silent Hill DMV, Next Right."

Luan and Maggie look at one another, each conveying the message: " _Of course..."_

"Well that's convenient," Luan comments.

"Nice work Bady," Maggie tells the girl.

"Why thank you!" she says with a smile, and she goes to hug Maggie.

She's met by a stiff-arm.

"I don't do hugs... or any physical contact, really."

"Oh, sorry," she sadly replies.

"Oh, come here you big lug!" Luan tells her, inviting her into a hug of her own.

And the taller girl reciprocates it, much to the chagrin of Margaret.

They let go, and start walking in the direction of the blue sign.

"Don't get any ideas," Luan teases Maggie.

"Oh, your powers must include mind-reading," she sarcastically replies.

 _"Oh_ _Maggie..."_

* * *

And finally, the girls have made it to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

And as Bady promised, there are several vehicles parked in the lot.

"Alright, Leni!" Luan exclaims.

"Who's Leni?" Bady asks.

"Oh, haha! Sorry, you kind of remind me of someone," she explains.

"Well she must be a card!" Bady quips.

While they share a laugh, Maggie checks her radio.

No static.

Still, she refuses to let her guard down.

"Alright, let's see if we can get in one of these bad boys," Luan says.

"Uhm, are you sure about this Luan?" Maggie asks.

"What? Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, I just don't feel right," she answers.

"Oh, LIGHTEN up," Luan jokes, snapping her fingers to generate a spark. "Hahaha! I've been waiting to say that... Which reminds me..."

She runs to the far end of the parking lot, and takes a deep breath.

Then, she begins running.

"If I lay here!..." she loudly sings.

She makes way to the other end of the lot while the other two girls curiously watch.

"If I just lay here!..."

She makes her way around the last car, and runs back around the row the other way.

"Would you lie with me and- just forget the world?!..."

She finally makes her way to the other girls, panting.

"...Get ...it?"

And after a brief moment to let it sink in, Maggie forms her signature frown.

Bady, on the other hand...

"Ohhhhhhh! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Luan joins in, and the two of them share a very hardy laugh.

That is, until Luan's activity catches up with her.

She takes off her backpack, and takes a puff of Albuterol.

Bady doesn't let up though, despite...

"Hahaha! I don't get it?!" she admits, still chuckling.

"Haha, uhm... Chasing Cars? Snow Patrol?"

"Wow, you people don't listen to music do you?"

Finally, Bady stops laughing. "Oh, I thought it was a pun or something."

"Never mind that," Maggie interrupts. "If you two are done being idiots, I'd like to get out of here before monsters show up."

"Alright," Luan bemoans, and the three of them start checking to see if any cars are unlocked.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

"What the heck? You'd think at least one of these things would be unlocked?!" Luan expresses.

"Maybe we're doing something wrong," Bady thinks aloud.

"No, we just- need to find some stupid keys."

"Hey Mags, you don't know how to unlock car doors too, do you?"

She sighs. "Nope."

"We could see if there are any inside?" Bady suggests.

"Hey, not a bad idea, kid!" Luan compliments her. "C'mon, let's go check it out."

"You guys go ahead in," Maggie tells them.

"What? Why?" Luan asks.

"I just- I'll keep watch," she answers.

Luan thinks it over for a moment, but decides not to argue with her. "Alright, suit yourself."

Luan peeks inside the building, and all is well.

So, she and Bady quietly make their way inside.

"Hey Luan, I have a question," she asks her.

"Sure, what's up?"

"You and Maggie said monsters are around here, but I haven't seen any?"

"Uhm, You remember that- 'guy' you were talking to?" she replies as she searches the nooks and crannies of the institution.

"Zachary? Oh, I found out he was talking to Victoria and Juliet, so I told him to-"

"What? Never mind... Just trust me, there are some scary and dangerous things out there."

" _I shouldn't have been so loud out there. I'm surprised Maggie didn't chew me out- I feel like she wanted to."_

They check every angle of the place, front and back, but no keys.

"Damn it," Luan curses.

"Hey!" Bady scorns.

"Sorry- Dang it."

"That's better," she proudly responds.

Maggie barges through the door, and her radio is acting up.

"They're outside!" she announces.

"Oh no," Luan comments.

"What's wrong?" Bady asks.

"No time, just go out the back," Maggie instructs.

Luan peers out a window, and she isn't lying. A horde of the monsters are charging towards the building.

"Luan!" Maggie shouts, and the Loud sister makes her way for the door.

* * *

They make their way back into the streets, but Maggie's radio still rasps. In fact, the static increases.

"They're everywhere!" she blurts out.

"What do we do?!" Bady fearfully questions.

"I'll- I'll think of something," Luan tells them.

And to an extent- herself.

They make their way for what appears to be a library, but a Puppet makes its way out the front door.

It appears to be a woman, and she's wearing a pink shirt almost exactly like her mother's.

Luan doesn't attack it, partly because she doesn't want to exert any energy unless she's forced.

But also because she can't help but wonder if this woman wasn't always this way. Maybe she was just like Rita Loud once.

They zig zag around the library, and over to a closed down gas station.

More monsters manifest from every angle, too many for the girls to count.

"Dang it! Uhm, go around it!" Luan orders.

"Uhm, Luan, what are you thinking?" Maggie asks.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll slow them down, maybe I'll kill us all..."

Maggie doesn't argue with her, she just grabs Bady by the hand and pulls her in that direction.

Luan follows, glancing over her shoulder for the right opportunity.

They get what appears to be a safe distance from the gas station, and several monsters begin making their way through it's lot.

Luan stops, and positions herself.

She puts both of her hands together, and conjures an energy blast.

She fires at a gas pump, and in the blink of an eye, it explodes into a mushroom of flames- engulfing all the nearby creatures.

Fortunately, Luan only suffers from fatigue.

Bady and Maggie stop before getting too far ahead, and look back at her.

She waves them off to keep going, and although Maggie hesitates, she complies.

Luan runs after them as they press forward, and suddenly, the girls stop.

"What the hell are you doing?" she can hear Maggie yell.

"They're having a sale!" Bady tells her.

"What?! We don't- Bady?!"

"It's Gianvito Rossi! This is like- a once in a lifetime thing!"

Before Maggie can add to her defense, Bady lets out a yelp, and one of the creatures pops out from a corner.

Luan catches up just in time, and blasts the creature, and again for good measure.

It falls, and so does Luan.

"Luan!" Maggie yells.

"I'm okay," she insists, but Maggie still comes to her aid.

"Here, lean on me," she instructs, and the girl complies.

As they stand back up, they notice Bady running for the shoe store.

"Bady!" Maggie yells, and the girl turns around.

"I'm- I'm sorry!" she hollers back, and she starts running again.

"God damn it," Maggie curses, and she starts making her way after her.

But the horde of monsters are quickly closing in.

"We're not gonna make it," she utters.

"We... have to..." Luan tries to muster out, but she can't finish.

Maggie desperately looks for an out, and she may have found one.

In the middle of the road is a manhole cover.

Unfortunately, it's a few yards away.

"Maggie..." Luan whimpers.

"Come on," she simply says, and she maneuvers her over in its direction.

"Maggie..." she sternly, but weakly, repeats.

With the monsters dead on their heels, they get to the manhole.

"Almost there," Maggie tells her, gently letting her down.

She slides her fingers under the handle of the cover, and begins pulling up.

It's heavy.

"Come on... come on!" she groans, using all of her muscle.

" _Behind you!"_ Luan wants to say, but she doesn't have the strength.

Still, one of the Puppets is ready to pounce on the girl.

With what little power she has left, Luan desperately fires a blast at the attacker.

And it falls.

Though Maggie is briefly distracted by the commotion, she quickly returns her focus to the cover.

Finally, she gets it off, and shoves it to the side.

She grabs Luan again, and heaves her over to the hole.

"We're almost out of here!"

She maneuvers her down the hole first and onto the ladder below, then makes her way in behind her. She grabs a hold of the underside of the cover, and pulls it into place.

And just as the horde has caught up to them, she's able to close the hole.

* * *

 **I visualize Bady as a brunette with a white Heather Mason vest, a striped purple shirt, blue jeans, and ugg boots. If you have a different image in your head for her, that's awesome. If not, it's easy just to picture Leni with brown hair and this outfit.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	8. 20 Questions

**DISCLAIMER: This chapter will make a reference to some mature content that may be disturbing to some readers.**

 **Also, this chapter's long.**

 **Today's mandatory listening: Nothing Else Matters by Metallica and Broken by Seether... Two of the best bands ever. I felt Lucy-ish writing this, so yeah.**

* * *

After sealing the manhole cover, Maggie takes a look around.

It's a sewer alright, and it sure smells like one.

Worse yet, it's very dark.

Luckily, she bagged some flashlights back at the pharmacy.

She takes a knee and unequips her backpack, rummages through it to collect one, and grabs a hold of some sort of foamy ball.

She places it to the side, and finds what she's looking for.

She shines the light in every direction, then to Luan.

She's gripping her chest, taking deep breaths.

She then looks over to the foamy ball, and that's exactly what it is.

Just a red, foamy ball.

She looks at Luan.

"It seemed funny... at the time," she explains.

Maggie stands back up and slings her backpack over her shoulders.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asks Luan.

"I just need to rest for a minute," she answers.

Maggie looks up at the manhole cover, and while she's fairly positive the creatures aren't capable of opening it, she doesn't want to take the risk.

"Well rest somewhere else, we gotta move," she orders.

Still weak, Luan tries to stand, and Maggie comes to her aid.

She positions herself back over her shoulder, and they get moving.

They get about 100 paces ahead. Everything is silent, minus the flow of the water streaming through the sewer.

The girls keep to the side walkway to stay dry.

"Can we sit down Maggie?" Luan asks.

She checks her radio, and it's quiet.

So, she gently releases her, and they take a seat along the cold, hard wall.

And for a moment, there's silence.

" _Where do I begin?"_ Luan wonders.

But she decides not to overthink it.

"We have to talk," she states.

Maggie turns her head just enough to be considered giving her her attention.

"We shouldn't have left Bady out there. I think we should go back for her."

No response.

"She could really be in trouble, or worse! We owe it to her to go back."

"She made her choice," Maggie tells her, standing back up.

"She didn't know what she was doing," Luan adds, also standing up.

"I told you she was a liability."

"I told you so? Really?"

"And then you had to go and make an ass out of yourself out in the parking lot-you lured them to us!"

"...That's on me. I'll admit that. But I fucked up okay? And she shouldn't have to pay for it?!"

"What do you want me to say, Luan? That I'm happy we didn't get ourselves killed trying to save some girl we barely know?"

"It's kind of funny you say that-"

"We don't have time for this..." Maggie says with a scowl.

"So that's it?... We're just gonna go on without her?"

"Luan... You know there's nothing to go back to..."

"Bullshit! She made it on her own for who knows how long before we found her!"

"She said she didn't-"

"I don't care what she said! I'm not leaving her!" Luan shouts, stomping her foot.

Maggie grimaces and folds her arms. "And what if it's too late? You're gonna risk your life for a dead girl?"

Her words cut like a knife.

"It's my fault, Maggie... I have to try..."

"And if I say no?" Maggie says.

"Then I'm going without you..."

There's a stalemate.

But Luan has made up her mind, and for what may be the first time in her life, she's dead serious.

"I'm going this way... Do what you want," she tells her, pulling out her flash light. She storms off in the way they came, leaving Maggie to stand angrily by herself.

 _"What if she's right? What if Bady is... dead? It'd be all my fault. And what about the monsters? Should I really even call them that? They could be people too... maybe... And... what if I am walking into a death trap? What if I don't make it out of this? What's waiting for me on the other side?... And, what would my family think?"_

She makes it to their starting checkpoint: the ladder leading up to a manhole.

 _"I wish I had that stupid radio,"_ she thinks.

By her foot is the foam red ball she placed in Maggie's bag.

 _"Ugh... I should go back for her too... You're such a hypocrite Luan... and a shitty person all around..."_

She sighs, and turns back around.

She's met by the beam of Maggie's flashlight, who is standing just a few yards away.

"I was gonna come back for you," Luan insists.

"Just- Let's go-" she pouts, coming to Luan's side.

They focus their lights to the cover.

Maggie checks her radio. It's silent.

Luan looks at the girl, and even though she's followed her this far, she still can't quite read her.

"We good?" she asks her.

She hesitates to answer. "Yeah, we're good."

She makes her way up the ladder first as Luan focuses her light.

"Careful," she utters.

Maggie tries to push the cover up, but nearly slips off the ladder.

"Shit-"

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm... Ah, dang it. Come hold me-" she requests.

"What?"

"Just do it..."

"Whatever you say."

She climbs up, and places one free hand on her back.

"I mean hold me!"

"Well I need to hold on too, you know?"

"Well- think of something!"

So, Luan climbs up to the rung just under Maggie, and awkwardly uses her sternum to support her.

"You- smell good..."

Maggie ignores her comment, and is able to push the cover away.

* * *

They climb up and back onto the street. At first glance, all is well.

"You know, I hate this HOLE thing," Luan jokes with chagrin.

The girls check their radio, and it doesn't emit any static.

No monsters- apparently.

So, they make their way to the Gionvito Rossi store.

...

Be it the awkward tension between the girls, or the caution of monsters, or the feeling of existential dread; the way there has been silent.

" _It is SILENT Hill after all..."_

Outside the small shoe store, things are still quiet.

Good because- no monsters.

Bad because- no Bady, either.

Luan carefully enters the establishment first, readying her hand in case she needs to blast a Puppet.

But there's no one inside, alive or otherwise.

 _"Damn it... Please be okay Bady..."_

"Let's go check it out," she tells Maggie.

She says nothing, as usual, and follows her in, holding her dutiful flashlight.

They look all around the store searching for clues as to Bady's fate.

And by a bench resting in front of a mirror are a familiar pair of Uggs placed upright in a shoebox.

They go check them out, and they're clean- just like the rest of the place.

And the shoes pictured on the box don't look half bad either.

Luan halfheartedly smiles.

"At least she got some shoes..."

Maggie sighs. "Luan..."

She puts everything back the way she found it, and takes a seat on the bench.

"She made her choice..." she recalls.

"...So now what?" Maggie asks.

"Well... I guess we just keep moving forward. Maybe we'll find her, maybe we can find a ride out of here," she answers, standing back up.

She meets Maggie's eyes.

"...Are we really good?" Luan asks her again.

She folds her arms and shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm fine," she firmly asserts.

Again, Luan halfheartedly smiles, and they make their way out of the store.

On their way out, they see a stack of green bills on the counter.

 _"What a card..."_

* * *

Back out on the fog-ridden streets of Silent Hill, Luan and Maggie continue their search for a vehicle.

The radio picks up a hint of static, and a sole Puppet manifests.

"Got it," Luan says with a frown, and she blasts and kills the creature.

And she sighs a sigh that would put Lucy to shame.

"...I'm sure she's okay," Maggie tells her.

"Yeah, I know," the sad girl responds. "This just kind of sucks, that's all."

And she starts walking ahead again.

Maggie stands still though, anxiously rubbing the back of her neck.

"Hey, wait," she says.

Luan turns to face her.

"Uhm... maybe we should think of another way out of here?" she suggests.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I just don't think a car's such a good idea."

"So, what? We walk?"

"I just think we're wasting time trying to find a car, and..."

"And what?"

"I feel like we're being watched."

"Well, if we are, fuck you dude," she says, raising her middle finger in the air for anyone to see it. "And, we'll get out of here, don't worry," she says with conviction, smiling.

"Okay," Maggie simply replies.

And they press on.

And a little while later, after passing a gym and a Happy Burger, the radio begins rasping again.

The girls hold their position, and anticipate the threat.

Out of a corner, a Puppet ironically wearing a Master of Puppets T-shirt reveals itself.

As Luan prepares to fire at it, another Puppet shows up from behind them, wearing a dress shirt and a Master Chief tie.

Maggie accidentally drops the radio.

And it begins blaring music.

"Come and get your love!... Come and get your lo-ve!"

Luan blasts the Puppets Puppet, and Maggie flails her backpack at the sharp dressed man.

Luan hits him with a blast too, and they turn their attention to the radio.

"Come and get your love, come and get your love, come and get your love now!"

"Shit, shit!" Maggie curses as she picks it up.

"Are there any more of them?" Luan anxiously asks.

"I don't know- just- let me-" and she turns the radio off.

And for a moment, they freeze in place.

Maggie turns the radio back on. No static.

Luan does a double take over both shoulders. She then picks up Maggie's backpack and hands it to her.

"Nice defense, bro," she says with a smile.

"Thanks," Maggie says, not frowning.

Not quite smiling, but not frowning.

"...Come and get your love-" Luan quietly sings, doing a little dance.

"You're an idiot," Maggie retorts, equipping her backpack.

And for a little while longer, they revert to silent reflection.

For Luan, it's thinking of her sisters, and how much she misses them.

In a way, she's taken them for granted. Yes, they _do_ make her feel lonely sometimes. She isn't into boys and make-up like Lori and Leni, or the various other things that the sisters and Lincoln call their own: pageantry, chemistry, frogs, the occasional séance...

But she still loves them, and she couldn't imagine life without any of them.

And of all them, she misses Luna the most.

Being roommates and all, they do fight sometimes, and sometimes they tune one another out- literally in Luna's case.

But in a way, they're best friends. She tells her about Theatre and comedians and even politics on a good day. And in return, Luna goes to to her when she has a new favorite song or band, or when she confides to her about crushing on a girl.

And maybe they just listen without truly understanding, but that's okay sometimes.

She's the one person that never really makes her feel alone, and it's taken this experience to realize that.

 _"How shitty..."_ she thinks.

And there's something about Maggie. Something that almost makes her feel the same way, even if she is a stranger.

As they walk along these abandoned suburban roads, she feels safe with her. She feels like she can depend on someone.

And for whatever reason, a memory of staying up late with Luna enters her mind.

They talked for hours about anything and everything from Taco Bell to Jesus Christ, and somewhere in between, Luan got to telling her about Social Studies and Theatre class, and how dramaturgy is literally everywhere- using Mick Swagger for an example.

And somehow, they ended up playing some stupid game Mrs. Zyla had her classmates do to "get to know" each other.

She smiles at the thought, and almost psyches herself out of doing it, but she does anyway.

"What're you thinking?" she asks Maggie.

"Uhm... why?"

"Okay, think of something. Like, a person, place, or thing. Or idea even."

She stops and looks at her, doing her best Dwayne Johnson eyebrow raise.

"Like a noun?"

"Exactly!"

"...Is this some sort of stupid Theatre exercise?"

"You got it, dude. Haha!" she says with a chuckle, channeling her inner Michelle Tanner.

Maggie starts walking forward again. "Uhm, okay, I-"

"Don't tell me! I have to try and guess!"

"Okay?! So, what- do I give you a hint?"

"Yeah, you give me one hint, and then I have to ask you twenty questions to try and get it right."

She stops for a moment, "20 Questions? You could've just said 20 Questions?"

"Yeah, but where's the dramaturgy in that? Besides, I knew you'd say no if I just asked."

She sighs. "Okay..." she dawns her best thinking face, and then halfheartedly smiles. "Alright, I hate these."

"Oh wow, that really narrows it down," Luan quips.

"Okay... is it my jokes?" She asks, the concern radiating from her voice.

Question 1.

Maggie amusingly scoffs, "No... I don't hate your stupid jokes."

"Well that's comforting. It's not me is it?" she playfully asks.

Question 2.

"Is it too late to change my thing?" she snaps back with a little smile.

"Funny... Okay, is it something big?"

Question 3.

"Uhm... Yes."

"How big?"

Question 4.

"I thought they could only be yes or no questions?"

"Heck that, it's no fun that way. So how big?"

"Okay- bigger than me."

"The monsters?"

Question 5.

"Nope."

"Dang it. Silent Hill?"

Question 6.

"Haha... I do hate it here. But wrong."

She really puts her thinking cap on, but their game is interrupted by the familiar sound of radio static.

They raise their guard up, searching for the perpetrator.

And they find it: a Puppet whose gender they really can't decipher from it's parachute pants, unrecognizable punk band T-shirt, and sleek black hair.

Rather than fight it though, Luan gets the idea to hide in a nearby garage.

She gestures Maggie to head on over, and they sneakily do so.

They watch as the creature mindlessly moseys along, and the static from the radio dissipates until it's stopped all together.

"You're at six," Maggie quietly reminds Luan.

"Oh, right."

They creep out of the garage and back onto the street, and all seems well.

So Luan resumes the game.

"Cartoons?"

Question 7.

"What? No."

"Well you didn't accept this stylish SpongeBob backpack."

"I told you it was bigger than me."

"You could've meant like- metaphorically bigger."

"No, I meant literally."

"Is it a living thing?"

Question 8.

"Nope."

"Hospitals?"

Question 9.

"Ehh... Not what I had in mind."

"Wacky inflatable arm flailing tube-men?!"

Question 10.

"Wrong."

"Dang it..."

"School?"

Question 11.

"What? I love school..." Maggie answers with strong sarcasm.

"I guess you could say I've LEARNED something new, haha! Get-"

"Yes, I get it."

"Can they come in any color?"

Question 12.

"Yes."

"Uhm... can you go inside of one?"

Question 13.

"You can."

"Alright! Can a lot of people?"

Question 14.

"Sort of."

As they make their way out of a cul-de-sac and back onto the road to town, the radio begins emitting static again.

"Dang it. Uh- real quick- Wal-Mart? The mall?"

"That counts as two," she tells her. "And no."

Questions 15 and 16.

They take cover in the woods alongside the road, and the gender ambiguous monster comes strolling from the way they came.

It would seem the girls haven't been detected, as it passes by their spot.

"Maybe you should kill it this time?" Maggie tells Luan.

"I don't know, I feel kind of bad about killing them," she admits.

"You should feel bad for not killing it. Look at him- or her- I wouldn't wanna live that way."

"Well, I guess so," Luan replies, and she creeps out from the woods.

She prepares her stance.

"Hey dumbass!" Maggie shouts.

The monster quickly turns around.

Luan fires away at the creature, felling it easily.

Maggie steps out from the woods, giggling.

"Oh when I do it I get yelled at, but it's okay for you?" Luan semi-seriously questions.

"Sorry. I think he was alone though," she says, holding out her now quiet radio.

"Or she," Luan jokes.

"Haha, right."

* * *

As they enter the urbanized area of Silent Hill, Luan prepares her next question, or guess rather.

"Men?"

Question 17.

Maggie stops and turns to face Luan.

"Really?"

"Haha! Chill out, I'm just messing with ya."

They pass a Shoney's and a Party City with posters for Halloween costumes.

"Does Batman have one?"

Question 18.

"Yes. It's like, his trademark."

"Caves?!"

Question 19.

"What? No."

"Dang it!" she curses. "Give me one more hint!"

"No way, that's cheating... Come on, think harder than that. I pretty much gave it away..."

They pass a large building, and a chill shivers down Luan's spine. She takes a better look at it.

A sign reads: "Alchemilla General Hospital."

Maggie stops and dubiously looks at Luan.

"There's something wrong with this place," she comments.

"Yeah, let's not stick around to find out," the girl with the dark purple boots adds.

Luan thinks back to all of the hints, trying to think of what thing this girl hates that she would single out, and what the hell it would have to do with the Caped Crusader.

And the light bulb goes off, but it's a bittersweet feeling.

"Uhm, I know what it is," she speaks up.

"Do you, now?"

"Yeah, it's..."

And coincidentally, one rests before them in the lot of the local post office.

"...A truck."

"Well, I was thinking cars in general. But close enough," Maggie tells her.

And for once, it's Luan who has nothing to say.

She instead decides to check if the beat-up old truck is unlocked.

More importantly, she discovers a set of keys resting the console.

"Ah yes!"

Maggie looks on, her face shifting from careless, to surprised, to disappointed.

She folds her arms and looks to the ground.

"Come on baby, show me what you got," Luan tells the beater as she places the key in the ignition.

And it starts right up.

"Yes, yes!" she exclaims.

She looks at Maggie, who doesn't react in the way she'd hoped she would.

"...Are you gonna get in?" she asks her.

She hesitates to answer.

"I- I can't..."

"...What do you mean, you can't?"

She says nothing.

Luan shuts the truck off and steps out.

She paces around for a moment.

"I don't get you," she finally tells the girl.

"...It's like you don't wanna leave."

She, still says nothing.

"What, is your life so bad that you'd rather stay in this place?... God, Maggie, we're so close!"

"I can't Luan," Maggie firmly reiterates.

"You can't, or you won't?"

Maggie groans, and turns around to rub her eyes.

"Why can't you?"

"Luan, I just can't," she sternly responds, refusing to turn around.

Luan snarls. "Look, I don't know why you pull this whole moody teenager thing or whatever, but I've had enough of it... After everything we've been through, you owe me. And yeah, you got me out of that cell, but I've gotten you this far with my- fucking powers! So whatever it is that's so terrible that you 'just can't...' Get over it for five minutes, and get in the God damn truck!"

She turns around, her face red, tears falling from her cheeks.

"Fuck- you!"

And she trudges inside the post office, right past Luan.

Luan groans, and clenches her fists over her eyes.

 _"What next?!"_ she thinks.

She just stands there for a moment, trying to calm down.

After taking a few deep breaths, she makes her way for the post office door.

And- it's locked.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she utters.

She considers knocking on the door, maybe even apologizing, but if there's one thing she's learned about Maggie- and maybe the only thing- it's that she's stubborn.

So, she makes her way around to the back.

 _"She better pray I find a way in here..."_

There's a back door, but it's closed in by a fence.

So she climbs the fence, nearly ripping her skirt on the wiring at the top.

She makes her way down, but unfortunately, this door is locked too.

"Fuck this," she groans, and she blasts the door knob with her powers.

Open Sesame.

* * *

Luan diligently walks into the post office, but there don't appear to be any monsters.

She also doesn't see Maggie, but there is a set of stairs leading up to a second floor.

She makes her way up and through the first open door she sees.

Inside, Maggie sits curled up along the wall, burying her face in her forearms.

"I'm not leaving here without you, you know," Luan begins.

"Why do you even care?" Maggie retorts, her voice muffling through her arms.

"Because- I just do, okay?"

"Look, I'm not gonna pretend to know what you're going through or whatever, but- you must have a pretty good reason not to want to get out of here as soon as possible. After the day we've had- what we've done together, the least you could do is tell me."

Nothing.

"Maggie... I've struggled too. Maybe not the way you have, I don't know. But I'm not always happy. Sometimes, I'm _really_ not happy... But I want to get home and see my family again. And, I know somebody's waiting for you too."

"Please say something."

She gives up. She's tried jokes, asking nicely, sympathizing, empathizing, and even yelling, but none of it's worked.

Still, she refuses to leave her.

So, she decides to give her her space for a little while, then come back and try again later.

She turns to leave.

"A couple years ago, I was visiting my dad... My real dad, I mean," Maggie starts.

And Luan gives her her undivided attention.

"My mom was there, and I remember they started fighting. He was drunk, as usual. I remember him yelling at me to get in his car... I didn't want to, but- I was scared he would hurt me, or my mom, so I did... He was swerving all over the road, drinking another beer, and he was yelling about all these things I didn't even know about..."

She starts tearing up.

"He started saying really weird things about me and my mom, and boys... and he started- touching me... I told him to stop, but he started laughing. I started- fucking punching him, and he hit me back, and the next thing I know- we crash..."

"I got out of the truck and ran- but... I was so scared..."

She can't get out another word.

"Maggie... I'm so sorry..."

"Yeah, everybody is," Maggie says, fighting the tears. "But you don't really care. You don't want to leave me here because of you- not because of me. You just don't want to feel guilty."

"That's not true," Luan says.

"Bullshit! Nobody knows me! And I don't want them to! I don't want anybody to care about me- I just want to be left alone!"

Maybe there's some truth to what she said. And maybe there's nothing left to say.

But Luan _does_ care.

"I'm not going without you, Maggie... I won't..."

"I'll be downstairs. I'll come check up on you in a little bit..."

 _"Jesus Christ, Luan... What are you gonna do?"_ she thinks as she takes a seat on the lobby couch.

 _"Are we just supposed to walk out of here? Will she come with me?... She's followed me this far, but after all that? What the hell am I supposed to say to her now?"_

 _"God, I'm such a fucking asshole..."_

This whole thing has just taken everything out of her. The monsters, the walking, the drama- it's almost too much for her.

 _"_ _I just want to turn my brain off for a little bit..."_

Luan wakes up from a deep, dreamless sleep.

And it's much darker.

 _"Oh shit... what time is it?!"_

She grabs her backpack, and pulls out her flashlight.

She turns it on, and looks around. Nothing else seems different.

It is colder though.

So she pulls out a purple sweatshirt from her backpack. Maggie's- actually.

"How did that get in there?" she thinks out loud.

Regardless, she puts it on, and heads upstairs.

And of course, she's gone.

"No!"

She rushes down stairs and out the front door, and looks for any clues that may indicate where Maggie's gone.

There's nothing in the direct vicinity of the entrance, so she takes a look around the lot.

Her heart sinks as she discovers the beat up old truck has disappeared.

* * *

 **If the content of this chapter, particularly Maggie's reveal- made anyone uncomfortable, I do apologize. I wouldn't want to trigger any triggers, for lack of a better way to put it, and I hope you all are well. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the remainder of this fic**


	9. Otherworld

**Today's playlist: "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" by Metallica, "Tears Don't Fall" by Bullet For My Valentine, and "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria. Kind of random songs, but I feel like Maggie would include these in her playlist, and they were the songs I listened to the most while writing this chapter.**

* * *

 _"Why Me?"_ Luan Loud thinks as she nervously walks along these dark streets, trying to map out in her head where Maggie would've taken off to.

 _"I didn't ask for these stupid powers. I didn't ask to be taken from my family and put in this hell hole. I sure didn't ask to babysit Negasonic Teenage Warhead either… More like Negasonic Teenage Bitch-face…"_

It was one thing to venture Silent Hill with her sidekick and her trusty radio, and in the daylight.

This is something entirely different: alone, with only a thin beam of light to guide her.

She feels exposed.

Vulnerable.

And yet, she can't help but remember SpongeBob in Rock Bottom, holding a flashlight to his face, referring to the undersea night as "advanced darkness."

And for a moment, she feels comfort in knowing that she still has her sense of humor.

But as she progresses down the road in complete silence, that feeling is soon replaced by fear.

In the distance, she sees two flickering lights along the two sides of the road.

"Fire?"

She begins running, and suddenly, a mysterious figure manifests in the middle of the road, between the two flames.

She stops, fearful to get any closer.

The figure idly stands there for a moment, then turns to the right.

It enters the lot of the nearby building.

She's terrified, but she knows there's something else going on here.

" _I feel like we're being watched,_ " she remembers Maggie saying.

And she remembers the strange figure from before- the one that showed up at the prison, then again through the window of that house.

 _"Could it be the same one?"_

And Maggie wouldn't have drove off- not after the things she said.

 _"She needs my help… and that's where I'll find her..."_

So she bravely makes her way to the flames, and as she approaches them, they burn out.

Luan can feel her heart pounding in the back of her throat.

She shines her light in the same direction the ghostly shape went.

It's Alchemilla Hospital.

She actually gulps, just like in the cartoons.

 _"This world is trying to kill me…"_

She cautiously enters the front lot, and makes her way to a nearby set of stairs that lead up to the entrance.

* * *

She's never been so afraid in her life as she is now entering this dark, lonely building.

And it just _had_ to be a hospital.

Luan can't remember ever actually being admitted into a hospital. She's been into Royal Woods General to see her younger sisters after they were born, but she really only remembers Lily.

And even in those times of joy, she didn't like much being in a hospital.

She remembers hearing something in her Social Studies class about this phobia being associated with mortality, and she never really appreciated that theory until now.

Worse yet, her flashlight begins flickering.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she repeats, smacking the bottom.

And just like in the movies, it starts working just fine.

"Oh phew… for a second I thought-"

It shuts off again.

"Aw, nuts."

And she just stands there, alone, in the darkness.

 _"Now what?"_

Then she comes up with an idea.

She holds out her right hand, and begins concentrating.

She just barely exerts energy- just enough to form a little ball.

It's still too much.

She lets it dissipate in her palm, and tries again.

She lets out just enough to create an aura of light, enough to emulate her flashlight.

" _What a BRIGHT idea... haha.._."

She extends her hand forward, and continues along the lobby of the hospital into the main hallway.

And not only does she begin to miss having Maggie at her side, but also her little radio.

 _"Something could pop out at any moment, or sneak behind me, and that'd be it. I need to really be careful,"_ she thinks.

Then, she stubs her toe on a bench.

She refrains from cussing, but involuntarily snuffs her light.

Once she's recovered, she creates another one.

No monsters.

 _"Okay, if this were a movie- there'd be a clown or something… Then again, if I had my clown shoes, I might not have stubbed my toe just now."_

She lets go of this childish thought, and focuses on finding Maggie.

 _"It sucks having to take everything so seriously…"_

She passes several locked doors, and a room with a strange violet stain and some shattered glass on the ground. _"What the heck is that?"_ she wonders.

No signs of Maggie though.

"Dang it, where is she?" she utters.

She comes to a broken vending machine, and an elevator.

 _"What happened here?"_

As she tries to open another locked door, she hears the elevator ding.

And it opens, a bright light shining out of it.

 _"Okay Luan, any smart person would walk away."_

But Maggie's here somewhere.

So, against everything she's ever seen in the movies- and just plain common sense, she enters the elevator.

But the doors don't shut, and the lights don't sinisterly all turn red, so there's hope.

There are four buttons: one for the basement, one for the first floor, one for the second, and one for the third.

"Okay, let's make like Drake and start from the bottom."

She presses the basement button, and nothing happens.

"Poo," she comments, and she rapidly taps the button. Nothing.

"Okay, let's try this one," she says, tapping the second floor button.

And the elevator starts moving.

Shortly after, it stops.

She steps out, and makes her way for the set of double doors before her.

Locked.

"Oh bull hockey…"

She steps back in the elevator, taps the third floor button, and it starts going up.

She steps out, tries the double doors, and again they're locked.

"What the heck?!"

So, she decides to blast the doors.

They're a lot sturdier than they look.

She palms her face, and goes back into the elevator to try something else.

"What the?-"

On the panel, there is now a "4" button.

"Okay Luan- don't push that button."

She tries every button except this one, but nothing happens.

"I am so gonna die," she says as she reluctantly presses the "4" button.

The elevator goes up.

And, it keeps going up.

 _"It should have stopped by now?!"_

And, the lights sinisterly turn red.

"Fuck me," she curses, preparing her hands to blast whatever's waiting for her.

A deafening siren begins blaring.

She falls to her knees, covering her ears.

The noise stops.

The doors open, and no monsters are waiting for her.

But everything has changed. The walls are grimey, the double doors are rusty, and gone is the sterile hospital smell.

In its place is a sickly, gory odor.

The doors shut behind her, and she doesn't bother trying to go back in- she knows there's no turning back.

So she kicks on her hand light, and cautiously approaches the double doors.

She easily pushes them open, entering a long, dark hallway.

* * *

As she walks through, something catches her eye.

Lying on the ground just in front of a door is a little red foam ball.

 _"It can't be?"_ she thinks, and she picks it up.

She can hear the creaking of a door, and she quickly turns around.

Yes, a door has opened, but there's nothing inside.

She doesn't press her luck by going in to investigate. Instead, she continues down the hall.

She gets to another set of double doors, and opens them, entering a stairwell.

She takes the stairs down to the third floor, and opens the set of double doors that awaits her.

There doesn't appear to be anything in this hall either, and Luan becomes concerned. _"What if this is like, some alternate dimension where all I do is enter one hallway after another? I think they made a game- oh wait. It got cancelled..."_

About halfway through the hall, she can hear a very familiar sound that instantly gives her goosebumps.

It is the sound of steel screeching as it is dragged along linoleum, just like she heard at the prison.

And for a moment, she considers just lying on the ground and hoping she could just literally die.

But this is the real world- or at least, something close to it, and she knows that's not an option.

So she perseveres, being mindful of what awaits her.

"So that big son of a bitch didn't get enough last time, huh?" she arrogantly tells herself, trying to psych herself into a sense of security.

It's not very effective.

She makes her way through another set of double doors, this time entering a more complex hall with more doors- probably a patients' wing, she assumes.

And as soon as she does, she can hear the groaning of monsters.

So she readies herself, and slowly paces forward.

As she makes her way along a bend, she discovers two Puppets waiting for her, both guised in nurses' clothing.

She attacks the one nearest to her, easily bringing it down with one blast.

She fires at the second one, but it's not enough, and she has to strike once more.

She conjures another light, but the fighting has taken its toll on her.

 _"I can't just blast my way through this place without killing over. I need to be more careful."_

She makes her way down to what she perceives to be the second floor of the institution, and another hallway.

 _"This is like those stupid games Lincoln plays… Except now I'm the stupid jerk trying to survive… I wish I had a pun right now…"_

More walking, and still no sign of Maggie.

But suddenly, the mystery figure appears in the middle of the hall.

Luan stops, and gets a glimpse of the apparition before it vanishes into thin air.

And the parlor trick does more to piss her off than anything.

"What did you do to her?! Where is Maggie?!" she hollers.

Very shortly after, she hears that dreadful sound of steel grinding against linoleum.

And from behind her, the Pyramid Head makes his grand re-entrance.

She wastes very little time running away from him, violently shoving open the double doors that await her, and entering yet another hall.

She makes her way around a bend, and a Puppet reveals itself- grabbing her by the arms.

She struggles to break free, catching a glimpse of its hideous, deformed face as her light extinguishes.

She can feel it moving in towards her face, and desperately summons the energy to blast the monster off of her.

It doesn't even kill it, but she's broken free, and she runs like hell.

She can feel her chest tightening and her legs growing weaker, but she doesn't stop.

She makes it to _another_ set of stairs, and takes them down to find _another_ set of double doors.

She wants so badly to stop and get a drink, but the nerve racking sound hasn't faltered.

So she keeps pushing forward, running through the first floor hall, desperately using her remaining strength to maintain a small beam of light.

And as she does, she can hear monsters barging out of the doors she passes.

"You really better be alive Maggie!" she hollers.

She sprints through and into a somewhat familiar hallway.

 _"Is it? Yes! I can get out of here!"_ she thinks, barely recognizing the now otherworldly main corridor.

She heads right for the entrance, but two of the Puppets block her path, and one of them is holding a knife.

So she back tracks, and sees the broken vending machine and the elevator.

With no other options, she tries getting in.

She presses the call button, but it's still on a higher level- the indicator won't say which.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she repeats.

She puts her back to the elevator doors, and watches as the monsters begin to close in on her.

She tries to use her powers to ready a blast, but she's too weak.

The sound of the screeching metal becomes close enough to make her skin crawl, and she can now see the menacing Pyramid Head at the end of the hall.

He hurdles his blade, bringing down a couple Puppets standing in his way.

Her life actually begins flashing before her eyes.

Finger painting with Leni and Lori, riding bikes with Luna while baby Lincoln and Lynn played with a sprinkler, almost kissing Justus before realizing he had a booger hanging from his nose, seeing Lily walk for the first time...

And she falls backward.

 _"It's open! It's here!"_ she thinks, her sensory systems taking in the sudden flash of light from inside the elevator.

She hurries to get the doors shut, and as she watches them closing in, one of the monsters sticks its head and arm through- getting caught.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, she stands up, and kicks the creature right in the face, sending it falling out.

And the doors finally shut, concealing a terrifying and angry looking Pyramid Head.

* * *

The elevator begins going down.

She hadn't really even thought about it, but she must've pressed the seemingly inoperational basement button.

She wants to find this funny, but she's so worn out.

She musters the strength to pull off her backpack, and pulls out the ungodly plum nutrition drink- which is now warm.

It's something though, so she takes a big drink.

Next, she gets her inhaler, and takes two big puffs of Albuterol.

 _"I feel better… so much better…"_ she mentally sings.

 _"I swear if I get out of this- I'll watch Doc McStuffins with Lily every time it's on."_

She rests her eyes for the remainder of the ride down, which isn't very long.

The elevator doors open, revealing- what she refers to her in her mind as, a dungeon.

In reality, it's just an ordinary hospital basement.

 _"What's the difference?..."_

She stands herself up, and slowly paces forward.

The elevator doors behind her shut, hiding the light that shone through.

With little choice, she forces herself to create another light, but this is really all she can manage at this point.

 _"Please God, I know I ask for a lot, but please let me find Maggie… I'll stop pranking everyone on April Fools!"_

She approaches the sole door in the corridor.

On it is the large red insignia from the prison.

 _"Let me get out of this and I'll let Lisa have my kidney."_

She places her hand on the doorknob.

 _"Hell, she can have them both."_

She opens the door, entering a similar corridor.

There are four doors. Two to the left, and two to the right.

She doesn't overthink it, she just makes her way for the closest one to the left.

She opens it, and inside is a bedroom.

 _"What the heck? Why is this down here?"_

There's a bed, a small desk to the right of it, and an IV rigged up to the left.

There's also a tacky painting of a "Toluca Lake" on the wall.

She goes over to the desk, and there's a book and an empty picture frame.

She takes the book and opens it.

Inside, the pages are covered with near illegible handwriting.

" _ **Alessa was here Not here No more No one Love You not Mommy no no**_ **I** _ **need**_ **the girll more** _ **now"**_

She doesn't even know what to think. She just puts the book back down, and makes her way out of the room.

…

She tries the next door across from this one, but it's locked.

So she tries the one next to it, and it opens for her.

Inside is a morgue.

She steps in, fighting the contrasting smells of embalming fluid and death.

She shines her light around the room, but there aren't any indicators that Maggie was here.

However, one of the body drawers is open, as if someone was recently taken out of it.

 _"That's horrible…"_

She leaves the morgue, and tries the final door.

She opens it, and discovers an empty room.

But, the walls _are_ covered in black graffiti.

She shines her light on some of the words, but like the book, it's very difficult to actually read any of it.

And what she can read, only confuses and disturbs her.

 _" **Yes the God is watching**_ **NO NO** _ **she isn't false GOD false prophet**_ **The** _ **Church lies"**_

 _" **HALO of the SUN… Halo of my ASS"**_ is written next to a drawing of the familiar red insignia- the "Halo of the Sun," apparently.

 _" **Im not like them Im special I have**_ **the Light!"**

"False gods? The light? What the heck is wrong with this place?" Luan utters.

She leaves the room.

"Now what?" she wonders out loud.

She tries the locked door one more time, but it won't budge.

 _"I would blast this- but it's hard enough keeping this light shining. I can't waste anymore energy."_

So, she makes her way out of the way she came in.

But it's different.

Gone is the elevator.

In it's place are more doors, and all of them have the strange red symbol on them.

She can feel her heart start racing again as she makes her way to the door at the very end.

Whatever's behind it, she knows she isn't prepared.

 _"You so fucking owe me for this Maggie."_

* * *

There is a large, dimly lit room with a red rug covering a majority of the floor. There are two sets of stairs leading up to a balcony.

On the balcony is an altar.

On the altar is Maggie.

"Maggie!" Luan blurts out, and she runs up to the girl.

She lies unconscious on the altar, but she doesn't seem to have been harmed.

"Come on, Mags. Wake up! We've gotta get out of here!" she tells her as she jostles her, but she doesn't respond.

Then she hears something.

It sounds like radio static, but it's like it's in the air.

She goes over to the railing, trying to pinpoint where it's coming from.

And it just stops.

 _"I've got to get you out of here…"_

And just as she turns to go back to the girl, the mysterious figure comes right to her face.

She shouts something that Luan can't understand, and she jumps back, falling off the balcony.

She tries to regain her composure, but the wind is still knocked out of her.

There's a noise.

A peculiar, disgusting noise she's never heard before.

It's enough to jolt her back to life, and she forces herself up of the ground.

When she comes to, she discovers the source of the awful sound.

It's like nothing she's ever seen before.

The closest thing she can think of it even resembling is- for some reason, a door, or a bed.

But that doesn't even do it justice.

It's this big, brown, convulsing, fleshy glob with four legs. She can also see that it has a small round mouth with razor sharp teeth.

It's easily the most horrible thing she's ever seen.

Worse yet, she knows it has malicious intent, and she knows she can't just use her powers to kill it.

So she runs away, hobbles really, as the monster begins its pursuit.

She gets halfway up the right set of stairs, before she remembers that Maggie is still on the altar.

The monster is relentless though.

She hurries up the stairs, and she can hear the monster let out a nerve racking growl.

She comes to Maggie's side again, and begins jostling her some more, but the girl won't wake up.

The monster is almost at the top of the stairs.

She hooks her arms under Maggie's, and pulls her off of the altar.

As she does, she eyes a candelabrum.

 _"Well, if all else fails…"_

She hurries over to it, and knocks it right over the creature as it gets up the last step.

It lets out a groan, but the attack did little to slow it down.

It did buy her a moment to start dragging Maggie down the opposite set of stairs though.

As her feet plop on and off of the steps, Maggie begins to moan.

"Huh… Whuh?..."

"Maggie!" Luan shouts.

She does her best to quickly get the other girl to safety, but the monster is fast approaching.

"You really need to wake up now, Mags!" she hollers.

"…Luan?" the girl mumbles, and Luan sets her down.

"I gotta go back to fighting monsters. Just uh- wait here," she says, and she makes her way back up the stairs.

The strange doorman monster is to the left of the altar, directly next to another candelabrum.

Luan devises a scheme to finish this fight, but she needs the fire from the candelabrum to make it work.

She decides to use what strength she has to conjure a small blast, just enough to stun the creature.

The move is effective, and while the creature hiccups, she grabs the candelabrum. She makes her way around the opposite side of the altar, and lures the creature down the stairs.

"Hey, doorman! Come get some!" she hollers, careful not to drop the long foreign object.

She makes her way down the stairs, but the monster isn't taking the bait.

Instead, it makes its way to Maggie.

"No! Dumbass! Over here! Come get me!" she shouts, but to no avail.

She carefully puts the candelabrum down, and attempts to summon another bolt of energy.

But she's too weak.

Then, just as the creature reaches the top step of the staircase, Maggie stands herself up.

"Maggie! Run!" Luan yells.

She sees that she's being pursued, and instinctively begins rushing down the steps.

"Come on Maggie! Get behind me!" Luan yells, and the girl wastes no time complying.

She finally reaches her, and falls into her arms.

And sure enough, the monster makes its way down too.

Luan maneuvers her to the side, and grabs a hold of the candelabrum.

Then, she waits.

"What- what are-" Maggie sputters.

Then, as the monster gets halfway across the large red rug, Luan forcefully shoves the candelabrum to the ground, starting a fire.

She grabs a hold of Maggie, and lunges as far as she can away from the blaze.

They hit the floor, and for a moment, they're stunned.

When they recover, they raise their heads.

What was a small fire is now an inferno, and the evil creature is engulfed in its flames, horribly, painfully screeching.

The girls turn their heads, refusing to watch on- feeling the heat on their cheeks.

And almost as swiftly as it all began, it ends.

The fire is gone, and there is nothing left of the horrible monster.

Luan stands, then Maggie.

She looks into her rescuer's eyes.

"I'm sorry Luan," she tells her with wide, remorseful eyes.

"I'm not leaving without you," she tells Maggie once more.

The embrace is cut short though.

Maggie notices first, then Luan.

Standing just a few feet away from them is the tall, menacing tormentor from the prison- clutching his insidious blade.

They slowly back away.

The Pyramid Head readies his weapon.

"Run!" Luan shouts, and they take off.

The villain follows.

They rush to the top of the balcony, nearly tripping over their own feet.

And he is right on their tails.

They get to the altar.

But she is there.

The mysterious, ghostly figure.

They freeze.

The evil woman stares at them, violently convulsing.

Whatever, or whoever she is-

She's pure evil.

And it's bad enough that she stands before them, but their other greatest foe treads just behind.

They turn to face the oppressor, and he too stands still.

It's as if there is a stalemate between the two forces of evil.

Standing in between them, the girls anxiously wait for one of them to make a move.

And, for whatever reason, the mysterious figure vanishes once more.

"What?-" Maggie utters.

Unfortunately, the apparition's gesture did nothing to deter the Pyramid Head.

He again readies his blade, and begins trudging toward the girls.

"Get back, stay back!" Luan shouts, trying to once again create some offense.

But her power isn't strong enough.

Whatever was coursing through her veins the last time the monster had them cornered isn't there now.

"Luan-" Maggie fearfully says, grabbing onto the girls shoulders.

And the monster steps closer, and closer.

He grabs Luan by the throat.

"No!" Maggie screams at him.

With his one hand, he raises the girl up high.

His hands feel cold and dirty- worse than anything she's ever felt against her skin.

She feels absolutely helpless.

"No! Let her go! Let her go!" Maggie shouts, hitting the monster with all of her strength.

He isn't phased.

He strikes the girl, sending her rocketing into the wall.

"Maggie-" Luan whimpers.

Then, she can feel it.

Whatever indescribable, unidentifiable power that is hidden deep inside of her has returned, and it's even more powerful than she could have ever imagined.

And it feels good.

Too good.

Her eyes turn a bright shade of blue, and the energy creates a surging aura around her.

The creature drops her, the strange energy singeing his hand.

It stammers back.

Maggie recovers from the impact of the throw just enough to raise her head.

And when she does, she sees this nervous girl from school that she barely knew exerting a power unlike anything she's ever seen.

Luan is smiling- but it's not her usual smile. It's as if she has reached enlightenment- she's discovered new sensations she couldn't even dream of.

And she's loving it.

Finally, she readies her stance.

She places her hands together, and summons the energy to conjure a massive burst of energy.

But the Pyramid Head is not finished.

He raises his blade over his head, ready to deliver a devastating strike.

Then, he's met by Luan's power.

And he is no match.

Maggie watches on, and there is a blinding light.

She shields her eyes, and can feel gusts of wind against her arms and hands.

When it's over, she opens her eyes, and looks to Luan.

She falls to her hands and knees, heavily breathing.

And there is nothing left of the Pyramid Head.

She finally stands up, and makes her way over to Luan.

"Luan, Luan say something…"

She looks up, and meets her eyes.

They're still flashing and blue, but they slowly return to normal.

She weakly smiles.

"Wake up- Maggie…"

Then, she falls into her arms.

"Luan! Luan!" Maggie yells.

She looks at the girl's face.

Her eyes are now closed.

"No, no, no, no," she repeats.

She checks her neck and her wrist, but there's no pulse.

"Luan?!"

Then, she places her hand over her heart.

She can feel it pulsating, as well as the air entering her chest.

"Thank god…"

"Alright, I'm gonna- get you out of here," she says, raising the girl to her feet.

"You're so much heavier than you look..." she groans.

She places her arms under her legs, and swoops her up to cradle her… Again.

Then, a deafening siren begins blaring.

She falls to her knees, dropping Luan.

It's too much for her.

So much so, that she has to shut her eyes.

And she falls to the floor.

* * *

 **The "door man" is the Abstract Daddy from Silent Hill 2. That one's my favorite if anyone's failed to get that impression.**

 **The red symbol the girls keep seeing is The Halo of the Sun.**

 **Anyway... This chapter was easily the most difficult to write so far. So if you feel like I could've done better, feel free to voice your opinion- but I think I did pretty well. Still... We're halfway there! I won't spoil anything, but I think a lot of you will really like the next chapter:)**

 **Thanks for reading, and for all you Silent Hill peeps, I gotta say- Fuck Konami for cancelling Silent Hills. PT was awesome!**


	10. Dramaturgy

**No mandatory listening today. Couldn't think of anything apropos.**

 **Two disclaimers: One, this is a long chapter. Two, there will be some racial and homophobic slurs. We're so past PG at this point. Nickelodeon would be disappointed:(**

 **Also, be warned: there's some dangerously cute dialogue. So cute it may actually hurt.**

* * *

Luan once again wakes from a deep, dreamless sleep.

 _"That's like… What, the fifth time? In- two days?"_ she doubtfully wonders.

She looks around, and finds herself in a quaint little day room with lots of windows and chairs and inspirational posters.

And on the ground beneath her is a large, red rug.

Of course, in this light- it's more of a burgundy.

"Well, this beats the alternative, I guess."

To her side is Maggie, face first on the rug.

"Hey, Maggie," she says.

Then she giggles, her inner comedian- or Joker really, coming to life.

"Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you!" she sings, shrugging the girl.

"Uhhh… Nuuhhhh…" she groans, pulling herself up.

"Luan?..." she groggily says with a big red blotch on her face from where she was lying on the rug.

Luan snickers, but has the decency to cover her mouth.

Maggie wants to take offense, but then everything comes back to her.

 _"Pyramid Head, creepy lady, bright lights, loud noises… oh yeah…"_

And it's all… changed.

Everything's back to normal.

Well- the Silent Hill standard of normal, anyway.

"What happened?" she asks.

Luan takes a moment to think about it. "Uhm… I really have no idea… But this sure beats- whatever that was."

And then _she_ remembers.

 _"That was… me. I did that. My powers…"_

There is an awkward silence.

"Luan-"

"Maggie-" the girls say over each other.

"Uhm, go ahead," Maggie tells her.

And Luan does.

"Maggie, I don't know what that was, but, that wasn't me. I still don't know everything about these powers. I guess I'm just, I'm trying to say-"

"Luan, it's fine. You saved my life. I mean, you did kind of freak me out but… I know you wouldn't hurt me. You risked your life to find me. Thank you," she says with a smile.

"…Who are you and what have you done with Maggie?" she jokes.

"I'm serious," the girl happily reiterates.

"I know…"

 _"And this just got awkward…"_ both girls think to themselves.

"So, uhm, we should get going," Luan speaks up.

"Yeah," Maggie simply replies.

Luan extends her hand to her, and she grabs it to pull herself up.

They make their way to the lobby of the hospital.

"So, do you have any idea what happened to the radio?" Luan asks.

"No. I just blacked out, and the next thing I know, you're fighting Pyramid Douche."

"Haha! It was actually pretty scary. I used up all my power so I had to MacGyver my way through it."

"Could've fooled me… You were like a superhero back there."

"Yeah, the Amazing Fingerbang!" she quips.

"Uhm… No…"

* * *

It's now snowing outside.

"You know, I was starting to think this whole thing was bullshit…" Luan starts.

"But now I realize I'm being SNOWED."

"Lame," Maggie comments. "Uhm, do you have any idea where we should go?"

Luan thinks it over for a moment, anxiously rubbing her arm. "Hmm… I would ask about the truck, but I think that's out of the equation, right?"

"Do you even know how to drive?" Maggie somberly asks. She could put Droopy _and_ Eeyore to shame.

"I mean, yeah… So you didn't take it?"

"No…"

"Why are you wearing my hoodie?" she asks her, clearly not changing the subject to avoid talking about vehicles, and therefore their previous conversation about why Maggie is so screwed up.

"Uhm… It was in my backpack. I must've put it there by accident."

"No, I remember. I didn't have any room in mine so I put it in yours."

 _"Well… As nice as this conversation is… I'd really like to know where that truck is so we can drive out of here,"_ Luan thinks.

But to her surprise, it's Maggie who brings it back up.

"Listen… I really don't want to drive," she says.

"…We may not have a choice, Maggie," she somberly replies.

"I know… Just, if we do… You have to understand why it's hard."

She chooses her response carefully.

"I- I can't pretend to know what that was like for you. But, I'll do whatever I can to make you comfortable, okay?"

"Okay," she simply tells her.

But it wasn't the same old cynical tone as always.

Something has clearly changed.

And that's okay with Luan. She's just happy to have Maggie by her side for a little while, they stay quiet. And that's okay too. This whole thing is a lot to process for both the young girls.

For Luan, she can't stop feeling that horrible creature's hand wrapped around her neck.

She feels violated.

 _"I would love to take a shower…"_

And for Maggie, only she knows.

* * *

They take Koontz street to Simmons street.

Of course, the names don't really matter.

They couldn't be anymore clueless as to how they'll escape the ghost town.

And though neither one says it, they both feel like they're being kept here by other forces.

They stay vigilant nonetheless; keeping their eyes peeled for monsters, and maybe even a method of transportation.

They pass a sign that reads: " **Silent Hill Town Center**."

And up ahead just a little further is a large building.

It's a mall. A heck of a mall too, Leni would love it, and Bady probably would too- if she hadn't have ditched them for a pair of shoes.

They were on sale though.

The girls almost mosey on past the place, but something catches Luan's eye.

" **Come try Family Fitness one month free! New to Silent Hill Town Center!** "

 _"Gym… Shower…"_

"Uhm, Maggie-"

She turns around.

"…I could really use a shower."

Maggie takes a moment, before simply responding, "Okay. Yeah, sure."

"Alright, come on," Luan says with a smile, gesturing her over to the door of the fitness center.

* * *

They enter the establishment, and all seems well. Heck, if they'd woken up here instead of the creepy, gross prison, they might actually think they were somewhere normal.

Still, they stay quiet going in. Luan leads the way to the locker room.

"Alright, here it is," she states as they make their way in.

"I'm just waiting for something to pop out at us, it's been quiet… too quiet…" she says in the most cliché way possible.

"Alright dork, we found the showers," Maggie quips.

But Luan has already decided to discard her current clothing for something not contaminated by grody monster hands.

"Yeah, about that… Since we are at a mall and all, I was thinking we could look around…"

"Look around? For what?" Maggie curiously responds.

"Well… food, water… clothes?"

"What? Is my outfit too drab for your liking?"

Luan smiles. "Did someone finally get the enormous stick out of their butt?"

Maggie sneers. "Nah, you couldn't get it out of there- even with your fingerbang."

Luan blushes. "Oh wow," is all she can get out.

Maggie chuckles. "Luan Loud is speechless. 'Oh wow' indeed."

She leaves the locker room first, and Luan follows behind.

 _"I feel kind of guilty for liking Maggie better this way... But I guess I shouldn't. Just roll with it Luan…"_

They cautiously make their way out into the atrium of the mall. It's what you would expect from a mall: tons of artificial lighting, little kiosks that you poke fun at until you realize you _do_ need a glittery new Otter Box, little sections for grandparents to relax, a play area for kids, the teeny bopper stores that sell what all the hipsters think is cool until the normies get into them…

The only thing missing is the people.

And for Luan and Maggie, they actually like it better this way.

If only it wasn't Silent Hill…

But they _do_ feel safe. Maybe it's just that they have each other, and that they're finally on the same page. But things don't feel so scary.

"Well, I'm going into Old Navy," Luan tells Maggie.

"Ha- and I have a stick up _my_ butt."

"Hey- I have good taste, I don't care what anybody says!"

"Sure. I guess I'll check this place out," she says about a Hot Topic, trying way too hard to be nonchalant. "I can't wait to see how many flowers your next outfit has."

"Oh ha- I see that's a HOT TOPIC for you!"

The girl just gives her an unimpressed look.

"Don't take too long," she says, turning around to go into the store.

 _"Aww… Finally making progress,"_ Luan thinks.

She turns around, and steps closer to the Old Navy entrance.

But she stops.

She turns back to the Hot Topic.

 _"Maybe I'll see what they have. I can afford to change things up a bit."_

And she goes in.

 _"Why do they make it so dark in here? We get it- you're emo!"_ she thinks.

She walks past a little section of Star Wars and Dragonball Z memorabilia, and the obligatory Rick and Morty T-Shirts.

Then there's the stoner T's, posters for every 90s fandom and 2000s rock band, and the wall of anime merch.

"I'm so hipster I can't even hipster…" she mumbles to herself.

She goes to the other side of the store, and pretty much gives up on finding anything she'd be caught dead wearing.

And with the monsters and all…

Then, she sees a skirt very similar to Maggie's, and a black and white striped T that would match. _"Well… Maybe I can't pull off the punk chick look, but Maggie sure can."_

She takes the outfit from the rack.

"Where is she anyway?" she quietly asks herself.

"Hey Mags?!" she weakly calls out. "Maggie?!"

No response.

"Okay… You better not be screwing with me girl… I've already got my April Fools pranks figured out for the next two and a half years!"

She checks every angle of the store, but she doesn't seem to be in here.

"Dang it, where are you?!" she worriedly calls out.

She leaves the Hot Topic, and stands outside the entrance, looking around to see if she might be anywhere nearby.

Soon enough, Maggie comes out of the entrance of Old Navy, some clothes draped over her arm.

There's a yellow T-Shirt with- of course it's SpongeBob, and a pink plaid skirt with matching socks.

"Oh, I was wondering where you were," she coyly says to Luan.

"Haha, yeah I was looking for you too…"

And for a moment, there's an awkward, " _Oh God what do I say?_ " silence.

"You must've snuck out on me!" Luan finally adds, sort of forcing a nervous laugh.

Luckily though, Maggie laughs too.

"I found some clothes. I mean, I don't really like them- I mean, I like them- just," she stammers, rubbing the back of her neck. "I wouldn't wear them. I thought you might though."

"Yeah, I found these too, haha," Luan replies, blushing. "There's just something about skirts."

"Well, if you want them-" Maggie begins.

"Oh, but they don't have flowers!" Luan quips.

Maggie sneers again. She turns over the skirt to reveal a flower on the front of it.

Luan just smiles. "You're a good sidekick," she says, exchanging her clothes for hers.

"Uh, I'm _your_ sidekick?" she playfully scoffs.

"Mmm, more like my damsel in distress."

"Psh, you wish," she replies. She looks at the clothes Luan handed her.

"I've got an idea. Why don't you wear these, and I'll wear those?"

"Alright," Luan simply responds, and again they exchange outfits. "You would have made a good little theatre geek," she snidely adds.

Maggie just gives her a look, and they make their way back to the gym.

* * *

The girls place their clothes on the bench outside, and waste little time getting into their respective showers.

Luan can feel the warm water washing away the grime from her excursion through the hospital, nearly forgetting how it was the Pyramid Head that made her want this so badly to begin with.

But that's a good thing.

"Hey, why do meteorologists take soap to work?" Maggie randomly asks from her shower.

"Why, because they're expecting SHOWERS of course!" Luan answers correctly answers from hers.

"Haha, I should've expected you'd know that."

"I know everything," Luan jokes.

"Did you know I'm a Virgo?"

"You got me there… But I do know you're a VIRGIN!"

"Har har. It takes one to know one," Maggie fires back.

And Luan just laughs.

"…Did you know that I dropped theatre because- I thought I might actually be good at it?"

Luan doesn't have a comeback, for once.

And maybe that's for the best.

"I thought that maybe if I got into it, people would start expecting more of me. I guess I'm afraid of that," Maggie admits.

"That, and I didn't want what friends I have to be assholes about it," she adds.

"…I get that. It's not like we need any more pressure," Luan says.

"…Who do you hang out with anyway?" she adds, somewhat reluctantly.

"The goth kids. I mean, I have friends. Just, we kind of stick together, you know? Watch scary movies and stuff."

"What about you? I know you hang out with the theatre kids, but…"

"They're about it, actually. And I spend more time with my family then anything. And stupid kids' birthday parties."

"Holy shit!" Maggie curses.

"What?"

"I thought maybe that was you! You were one of the clowns at my birthday party! That other kid was being an idiot, so you came and bailed him out… Oh my god that was funny!" she tells Luan.

She thinks back to that day. "That was your party? I guess I didn't notice. No offense."

"None taken, I was able to convince my mom not to throw me any more birthday parties, so thanks."

"Well, I guess that's a compliment," Luan says.

"…You don't think I'm weird?" she adds.

"Why?" Maggie asks.

"Well, doing clown stuff?"

"It's not my thing, but no. I don't think you're weird," she says.

"Well… What if I told you I'm a ventriloquist too?" Luan confesses.

"Like Jeff Dunham?... Sorry…"

"No, haha. It's fine. Yeah, I stick my hand up puppets' asses."

"Well when you put it that way, it is a little weird… Just kidding."

"It's cool. I can take the heat," she tells her.

But the truth is, no one outside of her family knows about Mr. Coconuts, and she intended to keep it that way until now.

"So… Do you have a boyfriend?" Maggie randomly asks.

"20 Questions, round two?" she quips. "Uhm… There was this guy, Benny… I haven't even thought about him until now, though."

"You?"

"I have too many to count," Maggie jokes. "...No," she admits.

"Well, guys back home aren't anything to brag about," Luan replies.

"Yeah, haha."

Maggie finishes her shower first.

She steps out and dries herself off, then puts on the horrendously chic outfit from Old Navy and brushes her hair.

She takes a look at herself through the mirror.

A smile she didn't even realize was there turns into a frown.

She just stares for a little bit, and Luan finally finishes up her shower.

"No peeking!" she jokes as she dries herself off.

She grabs her clothes, but she can't find her yellow scrunchie.

"Hey Mags," she begins.

She already knows what it's about. She forces herself to smile, then uses the scrunchie to pull her hair up into a ponytail.

"Maggie?"

"I've got it," she answers, making her way over to the semi dressed girl.

She pulls her second sock up her calf, and looks at Maggie.

"If we're gonna cosplay, we should do it right," she explains, showing off her Luan inspired wardrobe.

"I wish I could cosplay as someone _without_ the weight of the world on her shoulders…" Luan dejectedly says, doing her best Maggie impersonation.

"Oh hoah, that's how it is?!" She smiles. "Well then you could use a PICK ME UP. Get it, Luan! Get it?!" she goofily spazzes, getting right up in Luan's face.

"Stop!" she whines with a laugh. "I'm trying to be dreadful."

"…Yeah, _trying_."

And they both smile.

"Let me brush my hair, bitch!" Luan demands.

"Ah! Dick…"

"…Asshole."

"Assface."

"Asshalf!"

"Psh. Dickbutt."

"Cunt!"

"Nigger."

"Maggie!" Luan playfully gasps.

She just grins, egging her to keep going.

"Faggot," Luan confidently continues.

"Homo," Maggie fires back, pacing around the locker room entrance, no longer making eye contact.

Luan finally starts brushing her hair. "Dyke."

"…Queer."

"…Lesbian."

And that ends the war of words.

They sit quietly for a moment, maybe just a little embarrassed, or nervous, or whatever this unspoken thing is.

"I win," Maggie finally speaks up.

"You had to go and get dark there," Luan quips.

"Was that a pun?" she jokingly asks.

"Ah! You're awful!" Luan tells her.

She just smiles. "What? Can't handle DARK humor? Huh Luan? Get it?!"

"I'm gonna throw this brush at you!" she insists, playfully gesturing the object at her.

"How do you wear these big ass socks?" she asks, obviously changing the subject.

"Well, I put them on one at a time," she responds in a way that's just too corny.

Maggie just laughs and shakes her head.

* * *

The girls make their way out of the gym and back into the atrium of the mall.

"I won't bring it up anymore, but I think you'd really like theatre. You should take it in high school if you get a chance. Maybe I'll even skip and come see you in action," Luan tells her.

"We have to get out of here first," Maggie somberly says.

"We will. I'll kill anyone who stands in our way!" Luan says with a cartoony villainous voice.

"…That's not very hero-ish, Fingerbang."

"So, can I tell you something kind of stupid?" Maggie asks.

"Only if you promise to keep it PG."

"I know it sounds dumb, but… What if we do get out of here, and we never talk to each other again?"

Luan stops, and so does she. She rubs the back of her neck, and the other girl rubs her arm.

Then she smiles. "That's not gonna happen. Sorry to burst your bubble dude, but you're stuck with me now."

Maggie sighs, then halfheartedly smiles back. "I'll hold you to that."

Luan's demeanor changes.

"Can I- tell you something?"

Maggie just looks at her.

"You're such a sap," Luan mockingly tells her.

She hits her arm. "And you ruin everything!"

They laugh, and start walking again.

"Okay seriously though, what now?" Maggie asks.

"Uhm… We can leave if you want."

"Or…?"

"Or… We can keep using our five finger discount to get more stuff."

"The tragic decent of the mighty Fingerbang…" Maggie jokes.

"It's the company I keep," Luan replies, shrugging her shoulder into her new friend.

"Ah that makes me want a pretzel!" she moans as they pass a pretzel place.

"Eck… No thank you." The other girl disagrees.

"Screw you. Pretzels rule."

And in the very next instance, the girls share an epiphanic moment as they realize the God send that has been given to them in the form of a Halloween store.

They don't even discuss it, they just look at each other and make weird affirmative noises, then head for the store.

* * *

They ooh and aw at the novelties assorted around the foyer of the cleverly named Halloweenie's.

There are the usual suspects: rubber spiders and rats, plastic severed body parts, Jack O' Lantern buckets- of course.

But there are also Styrofoam axes and swords, which Luan and Maggie instantly go after.

"En garde!" Maggie clichély says as she draws her sword.

"Wait," Luan tells her, and she quickly grabs something from a nearby shelf.

She returns wearing a Bane mask. "You think the darkness is your ally?!" She says with her best Bane voice.

"I don't get it?" the other girl confusingly admits.

"Yah!" Luan sounds as she jabs the girl with the tip of her axe.

"Ow!"

"Hahaha! Here's a TIP, I can be a real pain in the AXE!"

"Who uses an axe like that?!"

"Sorry if I'm being a BANE! Haha!"

Maggie just shakes her head, clearly not getting the reference.

As they make their way down an aisle of pop culture costumes, Maggie grabs a Styrofoam pickaxe, and jabs Luan in her keister.

"Yow!"

"I'm just PICKIN' on ya!"

They share a laugh, carefully putting their props where they belong.

"I am so not a rebel," Luan confesses.

"No? Than perhaps you're a Stormtrooper?" Maggie replies, holding up a girl's Stormtrooper outfit.

"Ehh, I'm more of a Chewbacca," she tells her, holding up a Chewie mask, then letting out a Wookie roar.

"Oh yeah? With hair in all the right places, right?"

"You're talking about my ears right?"

"Yes- Of course!"

"I have a secret to tell you, but DONATELLO nobody!" Luan jokes, passing some TMNT stuff.

"I guess I'll just have to BEAR with you," Maggie responds, passing a bear get-up.

"Oh now we're COOKING!" Luan says, referencing Walter White.

"Haha! I had a pun… but it got deleted," Maggie says, joking about Hillary Clinton.

"Good one!... Hmm… Oh! This is BANANAS!" Luan says, singling out a stoner banana costume.

"…More like re-DICK-ulous!" Maggie retorts, pointing out a costume meant to emulate a male's phallic region.

And they share another hardy laugh.

Maggie looks at some bracelets and lanyards, and Luan scrolls through some fake blood, which remind her of Lucy, and boogers, which remind her of Lana.

 _"Ehh… There's one thing I don't miss… Lana's boogers."_

As they continue browsing, Luan catches glimpse of a "Sexy Plumber" outfit for portlier men.

Upon closer look, she feels like she recognizes the model on the packaging.

"Mags! Come check this out!"

She complies, coming over with a bracelet in each hand. Nothing special, just generic black.

She offers one to Luan.

"Aww… This is so sudden!" she quips.

Maggie just smiles, putting hers on while Luan does the same.

"What'd ya wanna show me?"

"Look at this guy. Look familiar?" Luan asks.

Maggie squints her eyes as she focuses.

"Haha, no way! Is that Mr. Andrews?"

"Right!"

It really does look like him. Big belly, shiny bald head, button nose, even the mole on the right eyebrow.

"There's no way that's him," Maggie adds.

"Who knows? Maybe he models over the summer!"

"Psh- He should be full time!"

And they share yet another laugh.

"He's actually pretty cool. I can't say that I like any of our teachers, but he's okay."

"Yeah, he is pretty cool," Luan agrees. "He can be pretty funny sometimes."

"…And he is kind of cute for a big guy," Maggie adds.

Luan smiles and blushes. "Yeah, he actually is!"

"Hmm… Maybe we find some naughty school girl outfits and ask for extra credit?" Maggie insinuates.

"Eww! I'm gonna tell him you said that!"

"No you won't. I'll tell him you call yourself Fingerbang."

"…You're right. That is more embarrassing."

Between all these wonderful props and costumes and the discussion about their social studies teacher, Luan finds herself struggling not to totally geek out over Mr. Andrews' lecture on dramaturgy.

But she's gotten lucky with Maggie so far. Hell, she even told her about Mr. Coconuts.

"So…" She utters.

"So?" Maggie repeats.

"All this stuff reminds me of the dramaturgy lecture."

She raises an eyebrow, then huffs. "Will you drop it already? I'll take theatre next year, just let it go."

"Oh, cool. But that's not what I meant- not exactly anyway."

She takes Maggie by the hand. "Follow me."

She takes her back to the costumes, and rummages through the racks.

"This isn't a prank is it?" Maggie asks.

"No- well, don't tempt me. But no. I forgot you've been out of school for a little while, so let me fill you in on the _one_ important thing you missed."

She picks up a generic white mask.

"See, Andrews gave us a really cool lecture on dramaturgy. Well, he gave me one anyway. I stayed after class to bend his ear about it."

"Did you bend anything else?" Maggie subtlety inquires.

"Har har. See, that's dramaturgy right there. The sarcasm, the jokes- it's all a coping mechanism. It's one of your masks you wear," she explains, putting the mask to her own face.

"The only reason I know that, is because I do the same thing," she clarifies, putting the mask away.

She starts rummaging through the rack again as Maggie stands there, doing her best to follow along.

"See, sociologists- Erving Goffman to be exact, coined the term and came up with this theory that life emulates a theatre production."

She prepares some visual aids.

"We have our masks," she says, putting on a small black eye mask.

"Our costumes," she continues, draping a red cape over her shoulders.

"Our props," –grabbing a random scepter toy.

"And most importantly, our scripts."

Maggie seems intrigued, if a bit unsure of Luan's point.

"I've been more open with you today than I've been with anyone in a long time. I'd say I didn't have any of these things, but I did. It's just- they were my own... I didn't have to pretend to be something I'm not. I didn't have to feel nervous or ashamed… I guess what I'm trying to say is, it feels good to be myself. And I have you to thank for that."

She takes off the mask, and the cape, and puts them and the toy scepter away.

And she can see that Maggie isn't sure how to respond.

"Sorry. I kind of lost myself there for a moment."

 _"Well, I tried,"_ she thinks.

As she tries to give Maggie some space, she turns toward her.

"Luan," she says, rubbing her arm.

And Luan turns back to meet her eyes.

"…How did you know about that number I threw away?" Maggie asks, referring to the suicide hotline number.

"Uhm… that was sudden," she says to her.

But she sees the seriousness in Maggie's eyes.

This is her being _her_ true self.

"I thought about calling them once. A few times actually…" Luan begins.

"I never did. I just… I feel really alone sometimes. Sometimes- I feel hopeless. Like there's just no real reason for any of this you know? Like, maybe there's an easy way out."

"And then I tell myself that it _does_ all matter. And I feel guilty- and selfish for even thinking that way…"

"But sometimes… I just want to close my eyes… and make it all go away."

Maggie looks to the ground.

"Sorry," Luan apologizes, and she's not even really sure why.

She takes a seat on the ground, and starts fidgeting with the bracelet Maggie gave her.

After a moment of silence, Maggie takes a seat beside her.

"I never called them either. I'm too awkward to tell a complete stranger that stuff."

"Which, kind of sounds funny, now that I say it," she adds, looking into Luan's eyes.

And they smile.

"I feel alone too."

"…Maggie, I don't want to lose you. I know it sounds weird but, I meant what I said back there. You don't ever have to be alone again."

"…I don't want to lose you either," she responds, still looking into her eyes.

And for a little bit, they just get lost in one another.

But Luan Loud is her own worst enemy, and she breaks the eye contact.

"It's kind of fucked up that it took all this to get us to talk to each other," she quips.

Maggie just grins. "Well… Yeah."

They share a small laugh.

"All the things I were afraid of seem so stupid now," Maggie tells her.

"Like what?" Luan asks.

"…Conversations like these."

"Well- if it makes you feel any better, I'm not always this mushy."

"Something about- masks?" Maggie snarkily replies.

"Something like that," the other girl agrees.

Finally, the girls get up off the floor, and they just arbitrarily walk around for a bit.

"You know what sucks about this place?" Maggie speaks up.

"What?"

"There's no candy here!"

"Oh man. I didn't even think about that. But wouldn't it be SWEET if they did? Haha!"

Maggie just ignores the sad pun. "Dude, I would kill for some candy corn."

Little does she know just how much of a sweet tooth Luan has.

"Oh god. Those candy pumpkins! I love those things!... You know what else? They should make candy corn Oreos."

She makes her way down one aisle, and Maggie goes down another.

""I think they already do," she claims from the other side.

"They do- But they have the vanilla cookies!"

"Oh- sick."

"I know! Make them with the regular Oreos… They should do candy corn Pop-Tarts too. Oh my… Oh my…"

"But have a chocolate tart and candy corn filling. Dang it Maggie, You shouldn't have said anything!"

"Apparently," the girl responds from a couple aisles away.

"…We are so getting some candy after this. I'll make my own damn candy corn Oreos," she concludes, deciding to shift her focus to finding a particular costume.

 _"Not like I'll wear it with everything going on, but just to see what they got."_

It takes her a little work, but she finally finds what she's looking for.

She spots the outlandish rainbow afro first, and smiles.

She goes over to what is likely the only clown costume in the store that _isn't_ Pennywise, and prepares to grab it from the rack.

But there is a familiar, ominous red symbol painted on the packaging.

Freshly painted.

She feels a chill run down her spine.

She turns around.

"AHHHH!"

She readies her hand to fire away, but she holds back.

And that's probably a good thing, considering it's just Maggie in a creepy Leatherface-esque mask.

She peels it off, laughing.

Normally Luan would commend someone for successfully marking her, but the red symbol leaves her feeling exposed.

"I almost shot you!"

"Haha, I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

"Maggie," she says, pointing out the abnormality on the costume.

As expected, her demeanor shifts as well.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Luan suggests.

"Yeah… Okay, Sure," Maggie agrees, and they make haste.

* * *

The girls make their way back through the atrium.

As they do, something catches Maggie's eye, and she grins.

"Maybe we could make _one_ more stop?" she pleas.

She points out Bub's Hat Emporium to Luan.

"I don't know Mags. I'm kind of getting paranoid."

"Come on, we haven't seen anything all day. Maybe you fixed everything when you killed that big guy."

"If I fixed everything we wouldn't still be here," she argues.

"Well, either way… I feel safer here than I do out there," Maggie adds, obviously trying to guilt her.

Luan sighs. "Okay. _One_ more stop. But after this we really need to start working on getting out of here."

"Cross my heart."

"Cross my candy corn Pop-Tart," Luan says with a smirk.

"I almost want to leave you," Maggie jokes, and they head over to the hat store.

They go in, and there are more hats in this one room than Luan has ever seen in her life.

"What would the sociologists say about this?" Maggie snidely asks.

"Use your head for something besides a hat rack."

"What?"

"I don't know, my dad says that," Luan explains.

"You're an idiot," Maggie tells her.

"That might be why he says that."

First, they try on some large frilly purple hats. Then some baseball caps- which Luan thinks Maggie wears well with her cosplay ponytail. Then they try on some cowboy hats.

"This town ain't big enough for the two of us!" Luan gruffly tells Maggie, holding up finger pistols.

"The world's not gonna be big enough," Maggie says. "When we get out of here, just think of what you can do with your powers."

"Hmm… I didn't really think of that," she admits.

"Alright. As my loyal sidekick, what do you think I should do?" she asks.

"Hmm… Demand your candy corn Pop-Tarts!" Maggie cartoonishly answers.

"Yes… First Pop-Tarts, then the world! Muah ha ha ha!"

As Luan plays with an expensive looking soda drink hat, Maggie browses for something to really impress her.

She comes to a large mirror along the wall, big enough to see her whole self, and she stops.

She takes a long hard look at herself, dressed foolishly like Luan Loud, wearing the signs of fatigue, and somehow managing to look worse with every angle she tries.

It's just enough to kill whatever buzz she gained from this day.

Luan comes to her, and sees the giant mirror.

Without saying anything, she gets beside her.

Together, they look back at themselves.

"So this is what it's been like," Luan says with a smile.

Maggie forces herself to smile back.

"We're kind of funny looking," Luan jokes.

Maggie's smile goes away.

"Ha, 'let's take a selfie!" she obnoxiously adds, but Maggie just walks away.

"Are you done?" Luan asks her.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Maggie says, forcing another smile.

* * *

Maggie begins dragging behind Luan, which catches her attention.

"You good?" she asks.

She rubs her arm and tucks in her lips.

"Can we sit down?"

"…Uhm, sure," Luan says, and she takes a seat on the counter of a pizza stand while Maggie sits down on a booth.

And she doesn't say anything just yet.

Then she stands back up.

"Luan…" she starts, but she chokes.

She just looks at her, trying to make her out.

"What is it?"

"Nothing…" she says, trying to start walking again.

"No, come on," Luan says, stepping down off the counter to gently grab her shoulder.

"Tell me."

Maggie looks her in the eyes, and delicately grabs her hand. She just holds it in her own for a moment before letting go.

"I really don't like myself," she says.

"…I see myself in the mirror- and- I just don't like the person I see… I feel so ugly, and-"

"Maggie-"

"Just, please listen," she insists.

"I know it sounds fucked up- but today is the best day I've had in a really long time. And I owe that to you."

"I try not to use what happened with my dad as an excuse but- things just changed after that… It got really hard to trust anybody…"

"I don't really- have anyone. And maybe that's my fault for not letting anyone in, maybe I could do better, but-"

"...You have me now," Luan interrupts.

"I know."

And she just stares into Luan's perfect brown eyes, trying to figure out what it is she's really feeling- what she's really trying to say.

"I don't really know who I am, or what I really want… But… When I'm with you…"

She takes her hand again.

"I just- I…"

And suddenly, Luan can feel a strange sensation running through her body.

It's something powerful, something sinister.

She looks for it, and she finds it.

The mysterious, ghostly figure from before ominously stands at the end of the atrium, watching them with her cold, black eyes.

"Maggie," Luan says, gesturing her to look.

And she does.

She loses the strength to hold Luan's hand, succumbing to the overwhelming fear.

And for a moment, they just stand there looking back at her.

Finally, she raises one of her arms, and begins convulsing.

Then, she lets out a horrible, deafening shriek- so loud it brings the girls to their knees.

When they recover, they see that the figure is gone.

"What the hell was that?" Maggie worriedly blurts out.

"I don't know, but I don't want to stand around to find out," Luan bluntly responds.

They take off for the gym, hoping to escape the way from which they came.

Unfortunately, they can hear the familiar moaning and groaning of Puppets coming from inside.

"Shit! Find another way!" Luan shouts.

They run for the other end of mall, but they can hear the monsters swarming in from every direction.

"What do you we do?" Maggie worries.

And the creatures have made it inside.

"Just run!" Luan orders, grabbing her by the arm and heading in the direction of the nearest exit.

Four of the monsters meet them there.

Luan maneuvers Maggie behind her, and she lets out a blast that fells three of them, killing two.

She blasts the one left standing, and they run out the exit, avoiding the supine living Puppet.

They find themselves in the large, empty back lot.

It would be empty anyway, if it weren't for one lone, beat up old truck in the very center.

"Maggie, look!" Luan hollers.

She sees the truck, but hesitates.

"We have to do this Maggie. I'm here," she says, extending her hand.

And Maggie takes it.

They run faster and harder than they've ever run before as the monsters close in from every direction.

They get to the truck, but Luan can't pull the door open.

"Damn it!" she curses, checking to see if the keys are inside.

She doesn't see them.

"Luan!" Maggie calls out as one of the Puppets draws near.

She steps over, and blasts the creature twice to make sure it falls.

And it's starting to take its toll on her.

But she doesn't have much choice at this point.

She readies herself, and blasts the window of the truck open.

"What are you doing?!" Maggie yells.

"They're- in here somewhere," she whimpers, and she opens the door from inside.

"Mind the glass," she says, assuming the driver's seat. She opens the other door, and Maggie reluctantly gets in.

Luan checks the visor, and sure enough, the keys fall into her lap.

But she's weak.

"Luan!" Maggie shouts, giving her a shove.

"I'm okay," she says, brushing her off.

She sticks the key in the ignition.

"You're not okay!" Maggie shouts. She looks out the window, and the monsters are closing in.

"Drive!" she yells.

But they reach them. They start pounding on the passenger side, and trying to reach in for Luan from the driver's side.

She's able to fire a desperate blast at them, knocking them back, but not really harming them.

"Luan!" Maggie shouts, pulling her in as close and as tightly as she can.

The monsters keep pounding, and she can hear the glass crack.

Then, the stunned monsters on the other side regain their composure, and start coming in again.

As their grimy arms reach in through the busted window, Maggie can feel the energy surging out of Luan, like the feeling of a battery touching her tongue.

Luan's eyes flash blue, and she lets out a yell.

And as she does, she lets out a tremendous wave of sonic energy that takes out every single monster in the lot.

"Luan?"

She weakly raises her head, revealing her normal shade of brown eyes.

She mumbles incoherently, scooting herself back into the driver's seat.

"Luan?" Maggie repeats.

She just weakly waves her hand, and turns the key in the ignition.

And the engine starts right up.

She puts the truck in gear, and Maggie just watches her, unsure what to do.

They pull out of the lot, and onto the road.

* * *

She groggily tries to keep her head up, her jaw wide open. She starts swerving on the road.

"Luan… Luan stop the truck."

She doesn't respond.

"Luan! Stop!" Maggie shouts, trying to grab the wheel.

But it's too late.

They crash.

* * *

 **This was my favorite chapter to write for obvious reasons, and I think the remaining chapters will be a lot of fun too. Thanks for reading, as always.**


	11. Reflection

The first thing Maggie thinks about as she opens her eyes is just how cold it has become.

As if things couldn't get any worse.

Then, she realizes just where she is, and remembers how she got here.

Here being the passenger seat of a smoke permeated pickup truck beside Luan Loud, who's face rests against the steering wheel.

She shrugs the girl. "Luan… Luan, are you okay?"

She lets out a mumble- not quite one of pain, more so exhaustion. It sort of relieves Maggie.

"Hang on. I'm gonna get you out of there," she calmly says.

She fights to unbuckle her seatbelt, then exits the truck.

From the looks of it, the truck is totaled, but she herself hasn't been harmed. It's a good thing they were strapped in, or things could have ended much worse.

She rushes over to Luan, and leans her back in the seat to get a look at her. She doesn't seem to be injured either.

So she unbuckles her seatbelt.

"Maggie," she whimpers, her head falling into her chest.

She catches her. "It's okay. We're gonna be okay," she assures her, and she carefully pulls her out of the truck.

She can barely keep her eyes open as Maggie drapes her over her shoulder.

"I need you to lean on me," she instructs.

"…It's a good thing- I'm so LEAN," Luan deliriously jokes.

"Hush," Maggie calmly tells her, looking in every direction for shelter.

And more importantly, to see if they're being followed.

They continue down the road looking for a suitable resting place. Maggie can feel Luan breathing slow, wretched breaths.

"I need you to stay with me, Lu," she calmly tells her.

She lets out a small chuckle. "Lu…" she mockingly repeats.

" _Even when she's about to kill over, she's still a smartass,"_ Maggie thinks.

They approach the Toluca County Assessor's office. In the distance, Maggie can hear the faint groaning of monsters.

"Alright, shake a leg loser," she quips to Luan.

"Heh… I'm rubbing off on you… In more ways than one," she weakly jokes.

"Just shut up…" she responds, getting her to the entrance.

* * *

Inside the building, things seem copasetic.

The girls make their way over to a nearby office, and Maggie sits Luan down on the floor.

She's fighting to breathe normally.

Maggie takes a knee beside her, and Luan looks back at her with a weak, estranged expression.

"Maggie…" she whimpers. Her face is becoming sweaty and pale.

"Hang in there... You need to take some medicine."

"I… I don't have any…"

" _Shit…"_ Maggie thinks.

"It was in your bag?" she questions.

She just nods.

Unfortunately, the SpongeBob backpack full of useful supplies and Luan's Albuterol is on the floor of the mall, and there's no going back there.

So, she has to devise another solution.

With limited time or ideas where to start, she decides to look around the office.

"Maybe there's something here somewhere. I'll look around," Maggie says.

"Don't hold your BREATH… Get it?..."

" _That's not funny…"_ Maggie wants to say, but she keeps it to herself.

She begins searching every angle of the office, from desktops to desk drawers.

She finds an unopened, lukewarm bottle of water in a drawer.

As she shuts it, she looks out a nearby window.

The snow falls heavier with every passing moment. Monsters are now walking around outside.

"Dang it…" Maggie curses.

But there's something else.

Across the street is a small building with a sign that reads: " **Morris Hospital Sales**."

"That's it!" she excitedly says to herself.

She heads back over to Luan, who doesn't appear any better.

"I got you some water," Maggie says, handing it to her.

Luan can just hardly muster the strength to twist the cap off, and then she takes a decent drink, spilling some on her shirt.

"Thanks," she utters, then lets out a cough.

" _I've got to get her some real help soon."_

"…Luan, I might be able to get you some medicine. There's this hospital store down the road."

She doesn't respond right away, but she acknowledges Maggie with subtle mouth and eye movements.

Maggie brushes her bangs slightly. "I'm gonna get you up now, okay?"

Luan places her hand on her arm. "Don't…"

Maggie just gives her a look of concern.

Before she can speak up though, Luan starts again.

"You go… I can't…"

"Luan-"

"I'll just slow you down."

Maggie sees the pain in her eyes. There isn't time to think about this.

So she makes the only decision there is.

She places her hand on Luan's shoulder.

"I'll be back. I promise."

And she goes, before she can lose herself in her eyes again.

"You better…" Luan whimpers as she takes off.

* * *

Maggie exits the building through the back door- armed with a new dutiful flashlight, and scans the area.

It's clear to move ahead.

She scuttles along, passing through an alleyway and to the next street over.

There are monsters mindlessly trotting about in every direction, but they apparently haven't noticed her.

So far, so good.

She attempts to pass through another alleyway, but a Puppet appears from behind a corner.

She quickly ducks behind a garbage bin.

She listens as the creature gurgles, and evidently passes the alleyway.

" _That was too close."_

She waits a moment, taking deep breaths to calm herself down, then continues through the passage.

She stops at the sidewalk, checking both ways for monsters.

There's nothing close to the east, but to the west- the direction of the hospital store, the same monster still lingers about.

" _I wish I had a bottle,"_ Maggie thinks.

She decides to make her way around to the back of the junk store across the street, hoping to find a safer way to her destination.

She swiftly makes a move, and finds herself behind said building. There are two other creatures loitering to the east, but she decides that she's probably safe from alarming them as long as she keeps low and remains silent.

" _I am so Solid Snake…"_

She waits for the obstructive Puppet to get out of her way, but it just keeps wandering in circles around the store.

" _I don't have time for this,"_ Maggie thinks, and she stealthily moves along the wall towards the store.

" _I could probably just run to the entrance- but the place could be locked, and there may be more of those things in there… Dang it! Think Maggie…"_

Then, she gets an idea. Maybe it's not her best idea, but it's better than letting precious time slip away.

She unties the laces of her right shoe- the one she exchanged with Luan, takes the thing off, and tosses it just past the Puppet.

It doesn't move.

" _Dang it!"_

She looks around for something- anything that could help.

Then she gets _another_ splendiferous idea.

" _Sorry Lu,"_ she thinks as she takes off her other shoe.

She steadies her arm, visualizing Matthew Stafford, and throws the shoe at a garbage can across the street, successfully knocking it over.

The monster takes the bait.

" _Excellent!"_

While the stupid idiot- as she refers to it in her mind, heads over, she quietly yet swiftly makes her way over to the entrance of the building.

She contemplates grabbing the door handle and going in, but decides to play it more safe than sorry.

So, she tiptoes around the store to see if there's a back door.

And luckily, the way is clear, and there _is_ another door.

But now her feet are wet from the snow.

" _Well, I haven't completely lost my FOOTING,"_ she mentally jokes, wishing Luan were here to share it with.

" _That's what it's all about Maggie. Get in, get out, get back to her."_

She grabs the door handle, and be it luck, karma, or the grace of God, the darn thing is unlocked.

" _Solid- Snake-"_

* * *

Once inside, she turns on her flashlight, and takes off her damp, yellow tube socks. Another reminder that Luan is the priority.

She lays them down on a nearby end table, deciding she may possibly come back for them.

" _At least I'll have a good story for when I get back to her."_

" _Alright, time to get to work,"_ she tells herself, leaving the break room for the actual store.

She shines her flashlight every which way, and things are okay. So, she presses on, hoping to find some medicine.

Unfortunately, it appears they're only stocked with supplies, and not medicine.

"Son a of bitch-" she utters.

Just as she does, she hears the sound of something being knocked over.

She ducks, and sticks her head out the aisle.

It's clear.

She makes her way back in, and discovers a Puppet is just a few yards to the left.

She quickly clicks off her flashlight, and makes her way into the next aisle.

The monster makes a clicking noise, and she listens as it trudges over to her previous location.

She creeps over to the opposite end of the aisle, waiting and listening.

She can't hear it anymore.

She readies herself to peek out the corner, but the creature is just behind the shelf she rests on.

She doesn't make a move, she doesn't even breathe as it takes itself out of the aisle.

It just idly stands there for a moment, making its weird clicking noises.

Then, it makes its way over.

And it passes Maggie. It just- doesn't even notice her. It makes its way right down the aisles until it disappears from her line of sight.

She finally exhales, the pounding in her chest becoming overwhelming.

" _I've gotta get out of here."_

She grabs her chest, and turns her head to the right.

Just inches away from her is an over-the-counter inhaler.

She carefully grabs it without moving anything but her arm, and looks at the packaging.

"For Asthma and Allergy Relief" is labeled on the box.

She grabs another in case of an emergency, and even a third.

Then, she looks over to the break room door.

It would appear that her way is clear.

However, the monster lurking about concerns her, considering it's quite sneaky.

She goes to the far end of the aisle. She peeks out the corner, and sure enough, the monster is slowly approaching.

She makes sure she has a good grip on the medicine, and then she makes her move.

With her free hand, she swipes everything off of the nearest shelf, generating a ton of noise.

Then, she darts for the break room.

She does a quick double take, and the monster appears to be thoroughly distracted.

With that, she grabs the damp socks, and ties them in a tight knot around the medicine.

With her makeshift sock-holder full of medicine in hand, she makes her way back out into the cold.

* * *

She stealthily makes her way through the streets John McClane style, keeping mindful of the creatures wandering about.

Fortunately, she is able to return to the assessor's office with relative ease.

She creeps in through the main entrance, and locks the door behind her.

She makes her way over to Luan.

"Luan?" she calls out, hoping maybe she'll be better, knowing that she's probably too weak to say anything.

But it's even worse.

Her eyes are closed, and her head hangs low.

"Luan?!"

She rushes over to her and puts the medicine on the ground. She grabs her by the face, and she doesn't respond.

"Oh, no! No, no, no…"

She puts her fingers on her neck, and she feels a pulse.

A weak, slow pulse.

She looks very closely at her.

She's not breathing.

"No, no, no," she keeps repeating to herself, breathing quick, panicked breaths.

"C'mon Luan, don't do this to me," she says, lying the girl down on the floor.

She pulls herself together, and leans Luan's head back. She opens her mouth as wide as she can.

She gently pinches her nose, then places her lips to hers.

She breathes two heavy breaths, then checks to see if she's responsive.

" _No! I won't let you die…"_

She repeats the mouth-to-mouth process again and again, checking in between breaths to see if her chest is moving, or if her heart is still beating.

She begins crying. "Wake up, Luan… Wake up…"

She places her head to her chest.

Finally, it raises.

" _Oh thank God!"_

She quickly grabs one of the boxed inhalers and removes the packaging, then shakes it up.

She then raises Luan's head, and sits down to rest her on her lap to cradle her in her arms.

She lets out a puff of air, then places the nozzle to Luan's lips.

She pinches Luan's nose again, and presses down on the device two times- leaving a decent amount of space in between them.

She even takes a puff of the stuff, just to help catch her breath.

She places the inhaler to the side, and pulls Luan in tightly.

She places her hand on her chest, feeling it weakly rise again and again, her heart rate gradually increasing.

Luan's slow, wretched breaths gradually become deeper and deeper.

"Please… Please don't take her from me God… Wake up Luan… Wake up…" she says through her tears, holding her best friend in her arms.

She gets to the point where she just can't cry anymore.

Her legs are starting to grow numb from the pressure of Luan being on her.

And their hearts almost beat in synchronization.

She opens her eyes.

"M- Maggie…"

And she looks down at the starry eyed girl in her lap. Her teary, beautiful, brown eyes.

And it's the most exhilarating sensation she's ever felt in her life. She can't help but start crying again, and pulls her in even more tightly.

"Oh Luan… I've got you baby… I've got you…"

* * *

"You need to rest," Maggie tells Luan after setting her up with a makeshift bed.

Outside, the snow is now several inches high, and the monsters have seemingly disappeared.

They're stuck here for the night.

Once she's convinced the girl to just lie down for a while, Maggie looks around the office for anything that may prove useful.

She finds an electric box heater, and places the damp socks in front of it to dry them out.

There's some snacks in the fridge, like fiber bars and half a pastrami sandwich. There's also a bag of pepperoni rolls on the counter.

" _I thought only West Virginia hillbillies ate these?"_

Maggie finally relaxes for a little bit, setting up her own little spot not too far from Luan.

She rests her eyes for a few moments, before she notices Luan fidgeting around.

The girl sits up, and takes a drink of water, almost pretending not to see Maggie watching her.

"Are you okay?" Maggie asks.

"I'm fine," she answers, somewhat annoyed because it's about the twentieth time she's asked since she stopped crying.

"Alright, just making sure," she replies before closing her eyes again.

"I really think I'm gonna pull through. You can stop worrying," Luan tells her, some of the bravado returning to her voice.

But Maggie doesn't say anything. I mean, what is there _to_ say?

Luan doesn't lay back down.

"You saved my life Maggie. I- I can't even thank you enough," she tells her- blushing, and avoiding eye contact as she takes another drink of water.

Seeing that she's steadily recovering, and probably not as tired as _she_ is, Maggie scoots closer to her.

"I was just returning the favor," she says with a soft smile.

"What is it, like, two for two? Something like that? But who's counting?..." Luan jokes.

"I'd say we're even," Maggie replies.

"Seriously Mags- I owe you. We're like, bonded for life now."

She sighs. "You are so mushy," she tells her, blushing.

"It's the company I keep."

Before it can get any mushier though, Maggie changes the subject.

"You should eat something," she tells her.

"I'm really not that hungry," Luan answers.

"Well, I'm gonna get you something anyway," she says, and she gets ready to stand up.

Luan grabs her wrist. "Don't go."

Maggie just looks at her, unsure what to say.

"Just- sit here with me," she pleas.

And she can't say no to _her._

So she sits back down, and sighs.

"I don't want anything to happen to you. Like back there at the hospital, or anything," Luan elaborates.

But Maggie can't find it in herself to meet her eyes- not when she's like this.

"I know I'm a turd and- I don't expect you to say anything- I just want to-" she pauses, considering her next words.

"I just want to be here with you."

Maggie starts tearing up.

"Don't cry. You'll make me cry," Luan tells her.

She wipes away a tear, and brushes her off. "You really scared me Luan. I came back here and- you weren't breathing…"

"…I had to-"

She gesticulates- as if to say: " _You know_."

"…I had to give you mouth-to-mouth."

Luan gets a little wide-eyed. "Oh… I- I was wondering what was going on…" she says.

"So… was I your first kiss?" she quips with a sly smile.

Maggie lets out a small chortle, and wipes away another tear.

"Yeah…"

"That's okay… You're mine too," Luan confesses.

"…Bonded for life," Maggie restates, holding up her matching bracelet.

They sit silently for a moment, but as usual, Luan Loud has to be Luan Loud- her own worst enemy.

"I'm gonna stretch a little bit," she says. But as she stands up, it's Maggie now who pulls her down.

"You really need to get some rest," she demands.

"I'm just gonna walk it off a little. I'm getting bored STIFF. Hahaha, get it?!" she jokes, standing herself up.

Her back makes a cracking noise as she stretches. "Oh yeah… That's the good stuff," she comments, and she walks over to a window.

Outside, day is giving way to night, and it's actually quite serene.

"Makes it kind of easy to forget we're in actual Hell," she quips.

"…It hasn't been all bad," Maggie coyly responds.

Luan turns to face her. "No. No it hasn't."

And for a little while, Luan just watches as the dusk takes over, probably thinking about her family, and how things could be when they get home.

While Maggie would like to join her and just talk the night away, she still feels doubt. What if this- "unspoken thing" is just a way to pass the time for her? Is she really so sincere about the things she said, like never having to be alone again?

Then she feels guilty- like she should just trust her.

Maybe that's a good thing.

She stands up, deciding to go wash up a little.

Luan notices, and thinks about maybe saying something smart-assy.

Then she decides to cut her some slack, and just acts like she hasn't even been phased.

* * *

Maggie rinses her face off and dries off with the cheap brown paper towels from the crappy plastic dispenser that's almost jammed.

And of course, she can't escape that face.

And although she may not realize it, she's a lot like Luan in that, she too is her own worst enemy.

She just looks at her reflection in the mirror for a little bit, trying different angles to see if anything's changed.

And- something has.

Maybe it's the angle, maybe it's chiaroscuro, maybe it's just an operator error.

But she actually looks _good._

And she relishes it. Her grey eyes have a new shine, her freckles actually compliment her normally dull pale skin, and her hair looks pretty good when it's up in a ponytail.

" _It must be the hair,"_ she jokingly tells herself.

But it's not just the way she looks.

It's the way she _feels._

She _should_ feel terrified, and cold, and worried about her family, and friends, and her complicated existence in general- more so than usual.

But she doesn't. She feels happy.

And it's all because of _her_.

She goes back into the office, and Luan has settled back down in her spot, reading some sort of brochure.

She briefly looks to Maggie, then returns to her pamphlet.

"Row after row of quaint old houses, a gorgeous mountain landscape, and a lake which shows different sides of its beauty with the passing of the day, from sunrise to late afternoons to sunset: Silent Hill will move you and fill you with a feeling of deep peace. I hope your time here will be pleasant- and your memories will last forever," she reads aloud in a mockingly suggestive tone.

While she was reading from the pamphlet, which is another copy of the same one they saw at the prison lying in a shopping cart, Maggie got settled in as well.

And she chuckles.

"My, my. What a voice," she says.

"Why thank you," Luan returns in the same tone.

"Too bad that face goes with it."

She juts sticks her tongue out and makes a short farting noise, and carelessly tosses the brochure.

"Silent HELL is more like it."

Maggie sighs, then Luan.

" _The awkward silence… My only weakness…"_ Maggie thinks.

It takes her a second to realize just how Luan is looking at her.

She rests her cheek in her palm, softly smiling, and she preens her hair with her free hand.

But there's something methodical about it. It's not just a regular look. Or is it? Maggie always had a hard time reading people, but this look is just different than other looks. Or maybe it's just her imagination- she's overthinking it, she's-

"So…" Luan says, finally breaking the silence.

And Maggie is so busy overthinking the look, that it takes her a moment to receive the message and compose a response.

"What?" she says as naturally as possible.

Luan tucks in her lip, and then starts again. "You were laying it on pretty thick back at the mall."

" _Is that- a good thing?"_

"Uhm… Yeah… Sorry, I guess." Maggie responds.

"Don't be. I'm sorry if I'm-" Luan visibly has trouble finding the word. "…pushy."

"No, it's fine. I guess I was just- I don't know, I'm never like that, honestly."

"Well… I guess I should be flattered then. Right?" Luan responds, somewhat dubiously.

"…That doesn't bother me," Maggie tells her with a small grin.

"Hmm… I feel like you didn't quite get it all out there," Luan continues.

Maggie perks up. "Uhm… What do you mean?"

Luan scoots a little closer.

"I mean- before the monsters showed up, it seems like maybe you had something else you wanted to say…"

The way she comes closer, the way she says these things with the way she looks at her, it makes Maggie feel like her stomach is being tied into a knot.

She doesn't say anything.

Then something changes. Luan's projected confidence gives way to curiosity- maybe doubt.

"Were you?" she asks.

"…Was I what?"

"Were you gonna say something else?"

Whatever it was she was feeling- it's now been exchanged for concern. But why?

Maggie just softly shakes her head, desperately trying to think of what to tell her.

" _Oh god, why am I like this? Say something Maggie!... But what? What was I gonna say to her? I'm so confused… Why do I feel like this? What is this feeling anyway?"_

She looks into her petite brown eyes.

"I think- I was gonna say…"

"I'm- really happy."

"Happy?" Luan questions.

"Yeah. I'm really happy being with you."

She smiles, and turns away. She rubs the back of her neck.

"…Aww shucks, Maggie. You're too sweet," she says, maybe just a little mockingly.

But for the most part, she means it, and she wears it on her sleeve.

As for Maggie, she doesn't know _what_ to feel. Her heart is racing, her face is flushed, and she's even sweating a little.

But it's not like she doesn't know what this is either. She just can't quite tell if it's real, because she's never been this way before. What is it about this girl?

She wasn't lying, though. She _is_ happy.

However, as much as she wants to be with and talk to Luan, she also can't help but want to shut her out for a little while. Like she might explode is she doesn't.

"We really should get some rest," she tells Luan.

She whips her head back around. "We? Are you getting tired?" she teases.

"Not gonna lie, I am actually."

"Mmm… I guess I'll cut you some slack. You did save my life after all."

Maggie lays back, and weakly hits Luan's arm. It's more like a tap.

Luan smiles at her for a moment, then she lays back too.

They lay quietly for a moment, and Maggie can feel herself fading. She didn't realize just _how_ tired she was until she laid down.

"I had a FUNNY thought…" Luan says, snickering.

"Shoot."

"Okay, I was thinking. I've had an assistant position for my business open for a little while now."

"Your business?"

She sits up and leans on her elbow as she faces her. "Funny Business Inc. Where your fun is our business'… Normally I'd hand you my card, but it's in my other skirt."

Maggie half-sits up and raises an eyebrow, but her trademark frown returns when she realizes she's talking about her birthday party business.

"Yeah. You've got a better chance of getting that stick out my butt," she says, lying back down.

And Luan becomes absolutely hysterical.

Maggie just shakes her head as she laughs these ugly high notes- complete with snorting, in a way that only she could make adorable.

" _Oh god… She's adorable now? Shoot me…"_

Then, she hears a sudden loud thump.

" _Maybe it's just my imagination,"_ she thinks.

After all, it's kind of hard to hear anything over Luan's absurd cackling.

But then she hears it again, and a third time.

"Luan- Luan!" she hushes her.

She finally straightens up, and they poise themselves.

It takes a little bit, but the noise starts back up again- like something is moving around.

"What is that?" Luan whispers.

Maggie just shrugs.

"Well what do you we do about it?" she follows up.

"What do you mean 'what do we do about it?" she retorts.

Luan sputters. "Uhm, uh, I don't know. Should we go check it out?"

They pause for a moment, and the noise has stopped.

"Maybe it's nothing," Maggie speculates.

Then the noise starts back up again.

"I can't sleep knowing that things in there," Luan states.

"We don't know that it's a _thing_ ," Maggie argues.

"Exactly. Let's check it out."

Before she can argue any further, Luan is standing up and making her way over to the noise.

"What?!" is all she get out, and she follows her.

They tiptoe through the office, following the indistinct noises until they turn into a consistent tapping.

They come to a hallway that leads to some conference rooms, and the tapping grows increasingly more audible.

"Wait," Maggie says with a halt.

"What?"

"Uhm… Can you use your powers? You know, just in case?"

Luan's face reads, _"That's probably a good idea,"_ and she holds out her hand.

She focuses, and creates a tiny ball of light, then lets it dissipate.

"Well?" Maggie asks.

"I think I'm good," Luan affirms. "Come on, let's do this."

They come to the only closed door in the hall, but the noise has stopped once again.

"Maybe it was the heater or something… I don't like this Luan. It feels- wrong."

Luan looks at the door, and even she projects some anxiety.

"I know. But let's just deal with it, and maybe we can just go to bed. We can take shifts keeping guard," she reasons.

Maggie rubs her arm. "Okay," is all she says.

With that, Luan places her hand on the doorknob.

"Stay back," she instructs Maggie.

She slowly opens the door.

And there's nothing inside.

Nothing interesting anyway.

"Huh," Luan utters.

"Don't sound so disappointed," Maggie replies. "Come on, let's go. I can hardly stay awake."

"Hold on a sec. Let's take a quick look around. Just for peace of mind."

Maggie sighs, and gestures her to continue.

Luan goes in, and generates a small orb of light. She scans the conference room, and nothing stands out.

"Just a boring meeting room. Alright Mags, we can go. But hey, did I tell you the one about-"

When she turns around, her jaw drops, and her heart sinks.

The mysterious evil figure that has stalked them has returned, and she has Maggie in her clutches.

"No!" Luan shouts, preparing to blast the apparition.

But before she can, the horrible, deafening sirens return.

They're so loud and powerful; she falls to her knees.

"Luan!" she can just barely hear Maggie cry.

But there's nothing she can do. It feels like something is groping around her brain, and it's so painful and overwhelming.

And everything fades to black.

* * *

 **Just so nobody thinks I've plagiarized, I took the stuff from the brochure verbatim from Silent Hill 2 and 3. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Lucidity

**The return of mandatory listening! Today: Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, and Silent Lucidity by Queensryche. You're welcome;)**

* * *

When she opens her eyes, there's a bright light. She feels groggy and stiff, and drenched in sweat, like she's been here for a long time. Her mouth is so dry that when she takes a deeper breath, she coughs an inaudible dry, scratchy cough.

Everything slowly comes into focus.

The room is white and pristine. No rust, no mildew, and nothing macabre.

 _"What the heck?"_ she thinks, and she tries to move.

But her muscles are so weak and stiff, and she's connected to all sorts of tubes all over her face and arms.

She looks to her right, and there's an IV rig, and a monitor reading all sort of vitals and things she doesn't know about, and obviously her heart rate.

Which rapidly increases as she proceeds to _freak_ out.

Suddenly, a couple nurses come rushing through the door, and a tall man follows them in- presumably a doctor.

She fights to get up, or do or say anything really, but it's no use.

One of the nurses goes over to the monitor, and the others hurriedly check on charts and supplies and other things she's too frantic to really pay attention to.

The man comes to her side after helping the nurses get ready.

"It's alright, just calm down. Just calm down," he says while soothingly raising his hands.

He can see her discomfort as she tries to speak.

"Chelsea, get this girl some water please," he orders one of the nurses.

"Right here," she simply replies after quickly getting a cup of water.

He removes the plastic mask from Luan's mouth, and holds the water up so she can get a drink.

"Sorry about all of this. We're going to give you a very small sedative to help you relax. I'll fill you in on everything once we've run through your vitals."

"Thanks," she weakly musters out.

She halfheartedly watches the doctor and the nurses as they do whatever it is they're doing, trying to surmise just what exactly is going on.

But everything is so hazy and abrupt.

And now she feels nauseous.

"Doctor," she utters.

They all stop what they're doing.

"Get a bucket!" he shouts, and one of the nurses quickly complies.

She places it just under Luan, and she dry heaves.

When she's finished, they have her take another drink of water, and she lays back.

* * *

Maybe she fell asleep, maybe not. Either way, she feels herself coming back to this strange new reality, which seems ironic considering where she was before all of this.

When she fully comes to, she sees the tall man sitting by her bed filling out some paperwork on a clipboard.

When he notices her, he gently sits the clipboard down, and carefully scoots closer to her.

"Welcome back," he says with a soft grin.

She just looks at him, unsure what to really say or feel.

He picks up a bottle of water and pours some of it into a cup, then gestures it towards her.

She takes a drink, and he places it back down.

"Is that enough?" he asks.

"Yeah," she harshly whimpers.

The doctor sighs.

"How are you feeling?"

She takes a look around, still feeling somewhat groggy, and very much confused.

But she doesn't answer him.

"I bet you're wondering what you're doing here," he says.

"Yeah," she simply answers.

He scratches his head and winces. "Well Luan, you've been asleep for a little while."

"What's a 'little while?" she asks, some of her bravado returning.

"…Four days."

"Your parents tell us you just wouldn't wake up… It's been- very peculiar, to say the least," the doctor tries to explain.

"I'm sorry if this is all overwhelming."

"Heh, I bet," she snarkily replies.

The doctor gets up from his chair. "I'm going to try and have you eat something. Is there anything I can get for you?" he asks.

She briefly thinks about it. "My parents. I wanna see my parents."

He smiles. "I thought you might. I'll go get them for you," he answers, and he makes his way out the door.

The innocuous four walls of her hospital room seem worlds apart from the dark, gloomy hovels of Silent Hill. She looks outside the window, and it seems nice out. Summer is briskly changing into Fall, and she can almost smell the autumn leaves just by looking at a tall tree in the courtyard.

For a moment, it's refreshing, but she can't help but remember wandering through the fogs of beautiful, wicked, Silent Hill.

 _"Maggie…"_

Before she can become too engrossed with what she perceives to have experienced, the door cracks open, revealing the tall man.

Behind him: Rita and Lynn Loud, Sr.

Rita reactively places her hands over her mouth, and instantly begins sobbing. Lynn, Sr. becomes teary-eyed as well.

"Mom?!" Luan whimpers, and she too bursts into tears.

"Oh, my baby!" she cries, and they rush over to wrap their daughter in their arms.

"Oh Luan," Lynn, Sr. utters, stroking her hair.

"We were so scared," Rita says.

"I'm sorry…" Luan apologizes, and they're all really letting it out now.

"Honey- no. You have _nothing_ to be sorry for!" Mr. Loud asserts.

"I didn't- want to worry you," she explains.

"Shh… Shh baby… It's alright. We're here now," Rita insists, pulling her in even tighter.

Luan forgot just how much she loved the smell of her parents. Dad has that fresh cotton sweater smell, and Mom always wears her cucumber-melon perfume that she has to order online because stores rarely carry it.

"I missed you guys so much…"

"We never left you," Rita claims.

Lynn, Sr. lets out a hysterical chortle. "Seriously. We've been here the whole time. I didn't shower until yesterday."

The girls give him a look. "Me either," Rita says with a smile, wiping away a tear from her eye.

Then she wipes away her daughter's tears.

"I love you so much, Luan. I'm so happy to see you."

They all turn to acknowledge the doctor.

"Sorry," Rita apologizes out of embarrassment.

"No need," he tells her. "I'm sorry this had to take so long."

And they all take a moment to catch their breath.

Speaking of…

"Are you breathing okay? Do you need any Albuterol?" her mother asks.

"I'm fine," she insists.

"Give her space honey," her husband requests, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She happily complies, and they all take a seat.

"Now, I've had one of our interns bring you this freeze pop in a cup. He insists there's something funny about that, so we were hoping you could tell us what," the doctor says with a grin.

She takes the cup. She just now realizes most of the tubes that were attached to her person have been removed.

"Can I ask your name?" she asks.

"Dr. Wells. Call me Patrick if you'd like," he answers.

She takes a small bite of the frozen concoction.

"Well Patrick, way to break the ICE… I wouldn't give him the COLD SHOULDER though, I'd say it's CUP for debate."

The adults all chuckle, and it helps her feel like this is all somewhat normal.

"Well. I'll let him know what's CUP," Dr. Wells jokes back.

She grins.

"Luan, I have time to answer any questions you may have. If you'd like to open up the floor for discussion, you may, or I can if you'd feel more comfortable."

She sees her parents doing their best to maintain their composure. _"They're so awesome. I wish I could be that strong,"_ she thinks.

She thinks it over for a second, and asks what she was considering before everyone came in.

"Uhm… I… It didn't feel like I was asleep," she begins.

The doctor just nods, and her parents give her their undivided attention.

"What happened?" she asks now.

The doctor looks to her parents, as if to say, _"Go ahead."_

Lynn, Sr. takes the floor. "Well… Everyone was getting ready for school, and you weren't out of bed. So we came up to check on you, and…"

He gestures his hands, maybe trying to find the right words, maybe trying not to choke on them.

"You just- wouldn't wake up."

"We tried everything," Rita adds, wiping away another tear.

"Literally- as Lori would say," Lynn, Sr. adds with a nervous chuckle. "You know how your sisters are."

Luan takes it all in, and she has a devastating thought.

 _"What if it was all just a dream?"_

She can't even fathom how to react.

"Honey, are you alright?" Rita softly asks.

It all flashes before her eyes. The peaches, the Pyramid Head, the Puppets, Bady, the evil woman…

Maggie.

"This can't be happening," she sobs.

"I know this a lot to take in. But we can-" Dr. Wells interjects, but she cuts him off.

"No. You don't understand. I was- awake- it was real…"

"What was real? What's wrong?" Rita frantically asks.

"I wasn't asleep. I was in Silent Hill. There was this girl…"

"Silent Hill, I haven't thought about that place in a while," her father somberly says.

Luan begins to cry again, and her parents rush to her side.

The doctor remorsefully sighs.

"Out of coma patients sometimes experience very vivid, lucid dreams during their fugue state. It can be very hard to readjust upon waking…"

"What does that mean?" Lynn Sr. worriedly asks.

"It's entirely up to Luan, and it may be too soon, but I could ask around about a specialist- someone she could talk to."

It all breaks her heart. Despite everything- the monsters, the worrying about her family, the seemingly near-death experiences, the realization that none of it mattered, none of it was real: it's desensitizing.

It's the worst feeling she's ever felt.

"Luan, please say something," Rita pleas.

"…I'd like to be alone now," she tearfully bemoans.

It's the last thing Rita wants to hear, but Lynn, Sr. places a hand on her shoulder, and she looks into his eyes.

It's able to ease her mind just enough to actually do this, and so she kisses her daughter's cheek, and stands up.

"We'll be right outside, if you need anything," her mother insists.

And not another word is said. The adults leave her in peace.

"Maggie…"

* * *

The remainder of the evening is spent eating cups of frozen juice, performing motor tests, and explaining her daily routine preceding her fugue state.

Still, the doctors can't quite wrap their heads around this "phenomenon" as they keep calling it.

And through it all, her parents are at her side. There are some more tears shed, but a few laughs too.

They tell her her brother and sisters will be in to visit tomorrow, and it's easily the best news she's had all day.

The only thing she doesn't tell them is how she finally found the person she's been looking for her whole life, and she was just a fantasy.

To an extent.

Maggie _is_ a real person- she knows that much. She goes to her school, and she had that somehow awful, yet wonderful birthday party.

And, despite what the doctors say about the "lucidity of dreams," she _knows_ that something isn't right about all of this.

She knows what she felt when she was being held in Maggie's arms, fighting for air.

It was real.

Then again, it's hard to understand all of this when she only hardly understood the situation to begin with.

She thinks back to that Rowdy Roddy Piper quote, "Just when they think they have all the answers, I change the questions."

How apropos.

She attempts to conjure up some energy using the powers she believes she has, but there's nothing.

On top of it all, that was a lie too.

 _"Maybe I'm just going crazy…"_

Still, she has access to her dutiful smartphone now, something she didn't have the luxury of in Silent Hill- or whatever it was.

She takes the Google rabbit hole down to Silent Hill, monsters, having super powers, and of course- her friend Margaret.

Fortunately, she actually has somewhat of a social media presence.

Unfortunately, she hasn't displayed any recent activity on any of her profiles.

 _"She said it was nine days, and it's been four days, so if she is in Silent Hill somehow- it's been thirteen days… It adds up, but she might just not be active… Jeez- am I that shitty of a person that I'm hoping she is in Silent Hill instead of safe here in Royal Woods?"_

 _"But if she is somehow in Silent Hill, I need to help her. I can't just keep this to myself… But even if I do tell the doctors and Mom and Dad, they'll just think I'm nuts…"_

But she knows one person she can talk to, and she will see her tomorrow.

So, with that, she does her best to catch some sleep.

 _"I'll find the truth Maggie. I promise."_

* * *

The longest night of her life finally passes, but subsequently gives way to the longest morning.

At the very least, she gets some solid food, and wouldn't you know it: there's some peaches.

Which is of course life's way of saying: "Haha, fuck _you_ Luan."

 _"Fuck you, too…"_

As bad as it all is, at least she has her sense of humor.

"How's your breakfast?" a nurse- Kevin, evidently, asks her.

"Peachy…" she snarkily responds.

The family could _not_ get here soon enough.

After a while of dealing with more doctors and nurses, and doodling Pyramid Head and that weird red symbol- "The Halo of the Sun," to the best of her ability in a notebook Kevin gave her, they finally arrive.

Nobody even has to tell her. Things just tend to get much more raucous when the Loud family makes an appearance.

Dr. Wells enters her room first, clearly flustered from meeting all ten remaining Loud children.

"You have company," he says with a nervous chuckle.

She places her notepad to the side, and smiles.

She actually is happy to see them all, and not just because she can finally talk to someone, but because she really did miss each and every one of them.

Except Lana's boogers.

And one by one, the Louds: Mom, Dad, Lori, Leni, Luna, Lynn, Lincoln, Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and baby Lily all file into the now relatively small space.

They all talk over one another, but the gist of it all is: "Hi Luan." Also, they got her some flowers and a stuffed pink bunny.

"Guys!" is all she can say, fighting back a tear.

As they all prepare to pounce on her with a group hug, Lynn, Sr. calls for a time out.

"Space guys," he firmly says.

And they all frown.

"Ah, what the heck?" he disregards, and they all smother her with love and affection and- _"Oh god Lana, take a bath would ya?"_

"Uhm, guys," she utters, and they release her.

"Sorry, we just-" Lori begins.

"We really missed you!" Lola finishes, displaying her latent sweet side.

"Awh, I missed you guys too," Luan says with a smile.

"So, uhm- is there a Mrs. Wells?" Leni asks the doctor, twirling a stand of hair around her finger.

He nervously dodges the question with some incoherent mumbling.

"Leni-" her mother says, nudging her with her elbow.

"Hey- you have dad!" she retorts.

"Uhm, anyway… Luan, how are you feeling?" Lincoln asks.

"Well… It's been an EYE OPENING experience… Get it?" she halfheartedly jokes.

They all awkwardly chuckle.

"What was it like?" Lana blurts out.

"Yeah, did you feel dead? I mean, I kind of thought I was dead that time Fransisco knocked me out on the field," Lynn enquires.

"Dudes!" Luna scolds.

"Sorry," Lynn apologizes, awkwardly smiling while biting her lip.

"Well, Uhm, it- it was-" Luan tries to get out.

"I bet it was dark," Lucy quietly interjects, catching everyone- especially Dr. Wells, off guard.

"Yeah. It was definitely dark," Luan says with a somber smile.

…

"Alright kids, Luan is already having a hard enough time as it is. Why don't we all take turns talking to her. One at a time," Lynn, Sr. suggests.

"What do you say, honey? Think you can put up with everybody today?" Rita politely asks as Lily coos and claps her hands.

"Of course! I thought I'd never see you guys again!" Luan blurts out, immediately wishing she hadn't.

It doesn't make everyone as uneasy as she thought it would, although she does notice Luna wince the same way Maggie would when she said something stupid.

Lori wipes away a tear. "Wow, I promised I wouldn't get emotional," she thinks out loud.

"Well, I can see you've all got everything- _under control_ here. Luan, holler if you need anything," Dr. Wells says, and he makes his way out.

"Wait! Do you have a Snapchat?" Leni loudly asks.

"If I may make a proposal; I suggest we mandate our individual visitations from youngest to eldest," Lisa says with her lisp. "I could use her testimonials on REM patterns for future experiments."

"You know the rule Lisa. We always go from oldest to youngest," Lynn, Sr. reminds her.

"Except for bed time," Lola grumbles, displaying her more common _unsweet_ side.

"And dessert!" Lana adds, rubbing her tummy.

"I keem!" Lily utters, referring to "ice cream."

All this attention warms Luan's heart, even with everything going on in the back of her mind.

"So Lori, I guess you'll go first," Rita says.

"Wait. When do I get to go?" Leni asks.

"Oldest to youngest Leni," Lincoln reminds her.

"…But what about Pop-Pop?"

Lori rubs the back of her neck through her long blonde hair. "Actually, I think I'm going to give my turn to Luna," she states with a smile.

Luna blushes. "Uhm, that's okay dude. If I can't have her right now- I'll wait dear," she humbly says.

"Nonsense. We all know you've missed her the most."

Everyone expresses their agreement, and now Luan is blushing.

"Well, if it's okay with everyone, I guess we'll be out in the hallway girls," Lynn, Sr. says to them.

"Remember, we have nine more to get through," Rita reminds them.

"It's cool Mom. I'll be fine," Luan insists.

"Alright, sweetie," she says, and they all leave Luna and Luan alone.

And of course, it's pretty awkward at first.

"So…" they both say in unison.

"I've been keeping an eye on Mr. Coconuts!" Luna blurts out. "You know, until you get back," she adds more calmly.

"Thanks. It WOOD be you," Luan jokes.

"Heh- good one," Luna says, and she looks down as she clasps her hands.

"It's been really quiet back at home," she dejectedly tells her.

"I'm sorry," Luan says, not really sure _what_ to say.

"No- It's not your fault- I mean…" Luna sputters.

"I know. 'Hello darkness my old friend," she jokingly sings.

And Luna smiles. "I really missed you, dude."

"C'mon, don't get all mushy on me. This is already weird enough," she quips.

"You ruin everything," Luna jokes.

"Yeah… So I've been told," responds, remembering how Maggie told her the exact same thing.

"So, I've got some news," Luna says with a smile.

"What is it?" Luan asks, forcing herself to smile back.

"Well… After Sam heard about what was going on, she told me she knew it was me who wrote her that letter… So…" she reveals, blushing and rubbing her neck.

"No way! Does she like you?" Luan excitedly follows up.

She just smiles.

"Eek! That's so awesome!" Luan exclaims.

"Yeah- I mean, I didn't really know what to say. I mean, I'm happy, just…"

"Other stuff on your mind?" Luan finishes.

"Yeah… You don't hate me, do you?" she asks.

"What? I'd hate you if you didn't make a move! So what now?"

"Well… I told her you woke up, and asked her if she wanted to have a jam sesh when I got home… So…"

"Oh man! I always had a feeling BI the way. I mean, LESBI-honest, you can't LETTER be! Hahaha!" Luan jokes with genuine laughs.

Luna just blushes and grins. "Wow…"

And they share a modest laugh.

During the brief silence, Luan contemplates how to bring up everything on her mind to the one person she trusts.

 _"Alright, here goes nothing…"_

"Luna, I have to tell you something, and I'm not messing around," she says with conviction.

"Yeah, that's what someone who's about to roast me _would_ say," Luna disregards.

Luan grabs her hand.

"No, seriously. It's important, and you can't tell anyone," she persists, looking straight into her sister's eyes.

And Luna can see her sincerity.

"Don't insult me, sister Christian. Lay it on the line."

Luan takes a deep breath, and she begins. "Well… The thing is… I know I was asleep or whatever, but it feels like I wasn't."

Luna gives her her undivided attention, and she continues.

"See, I woke up in this weird prison, and I met this girl there. Her name was Maggie. She helped me escape… But there were these- monsters. They had these weird things on their backs, and this one guy- I drew pictures," she says, handing Luna her notepad full of illustrations of the Puppets and the Pyramid Head.

And she studies them as Luan continues her story. "We were in this place called Silent Hill. Mom and Dad went there when you were a baby."

"Yeah, I remember," Luna simply says.

"Okay. Well, it gets weirder. I was able to like- shoot lasers out of my hands. I know it sounds ridiculous but, I swear I can't make this crap up… Anyway... I had to kill some of them, and we ran into this one girl named Bady, but she left us to buy some fucking shoes!"

"Dude, sounds like a wicked dream!"

"That's just the thing Luna, it was real. I know it was! This evil ghost woman, I don't even know how to describe her- she was following us the whole time, and I had to use my powers to keep them from hurting us… I had a really bad episode, I couldn't even breathe… and… and…"

She chokes up.

"She saved me. Maggie did…"

Luna becomes concerned.

"We talked about school, and boys, and she told me all these secrets… I told her mine… She was- incredible, Luna…"

"I don't- know what to say," Luna confesses.

"The thing is- I know she's real! I've seen her before all this. She goes to my school, and me and Lincoln did a birthday party for her. She said she was there for nine days-"

"Hold the phone, dude," Luna interrupts. "This is really weirding me out…"

"I'm sorry Luna… I just- I didn't know who else to talk to. I don't expect you to believe me, or anyone really, but I just can't get over it. It felt so real…"

"That's- not what I meant…" Luna tells her.

That is not what Luan expected to hear.

"This red thingy- I've seen it before. I did a research paper on old cults, and a band I like uses this as their logo. It's called the Halo of the Sun," she explains.

 _"And where is this going?"_ Luan wants to say- but she returns the favor by indulging her.

"And actually, they say it's because there was this cult back in Silent Hill! I can't remember what it was called, by they like- raised orphans to be devil worshipers, and there were some murders in South Ashfield that were connected to it…"

"The thing is, this guy says he went to like- 'otherworlds' he called them. He said…"

She stops.

"Said what?" Luan eggs on.

"He said- they felt real…"

"Luna?"

"I- I don't know if I should tell you this…" she says.

"Tell me what?"

"Uhm… You're not the only girl here who's been in a coma. Some girl you go to school with, Lynn told me- I guess she has been too. We passed her room on the way here."

And just what the hell is Luan Loud supposed to say to that?

"I don't know dude, I don't know what I'm getting at," Luna says, handing Luan back the notepad.

"Luna-" Luan says, grabbing her by the arms. "What does she look like? Tell me!"

"Okay, dude. Just- calm down… She has black hair, bangs, Uhh- really pale- Uhh…"

And that's all Luan needs to here.

"Maggie!" she shouts. "That's her Luna! I knew I wasn't crazy!"

"Uhm- What's happening?" Luna questions.

"Oh my God… Oh my God!" Luan hollers.

"Keep it down, dude! You want the 'rents to come in here starting their-"

"Luna, I need your help," Luan interrupts. "You've got to get me to her!"

"What?!"

"Luna, please! I've never been more serious in my life!"

"Or- high?!"

"This isn't funny, Luna! I need this!"

"I should've kept my mouth shut," Luna thinks aloud. She tilts her head back and sighs.

"It is pretty weird, yo. I don't know, it kind of makes sense…"

"I don't care if it makes sense! What I do care about is saving Maggie! I left her back there, and she's in trouble. I have to make things right, Luna. Please!"

"Ugh… Fine… Just, give me a minute to think okay. I'll distract everybody, and you can go find her," Luna says.

"Really?!" Luan exclaims.

"Yeah… This apparently means a lot to you, so… What the heck?"

"Alright, thanks Luna! But uhm… How will I-"

"I'm Luna Loud, dude. You'll know when to go," she says with a smirk.

She makes her way towards the door.

"Luna…"

She turns back to face Luan.

"I love you," she tells her with a soft grin.

Luna smirks again. "Don't get all mushy on me, dude."

And she shuts the door.

* * *

She can hear them all outside murmuring and shuffling about, maybe being nosy, maybe just trying to figure out who goes in next.

More than likely, they've been this loud all along, and she just wasn't paying attention.

Still, with a few moments to spare, she decides to think things over.

 _"So Maggie's here too, and I have to see her. I have to be sure. It can't be a coincidence… But… Even if I get to her, what can I do? What can I say to anyone to get her the help she needs? Her body is here- but her soul is in Silent Hill? How does this work?..."_

Then, the door cracks open.

It's Lori, who peers in, smiles, and then places her whole self into the room.

"Mom wanted me to make sure you didn't have to use the bathroom!" she says loud enough for Rita to hear.

"Well- that was subtle," Luan quips.

"I learned from the best," Lori retorts, closing the door behind her.

"Seriously though, how are you holding up?"

"Well, I'm good, I think. Thanks."

"Good, because I have to fill you in on _all_ the drama you missed out on! So, on the last episode of Dessert Storm, Cody-" she begins, but Luan is quick to cut her off.

"Uhm, that's great Lori. But listen, I need you to help me," she says, slowly making her way off the bed.

"What are you-"

Luan cuts her off again.

"Look, I don't have much time to explain, but help me out with this, and I'll give you a pass on next April Fools."

Lori gets wide eyed. "Alright, shoot," she says, taking a seat.

"Alright, you know that other girl here? The other one that's been in a coma?"

"Uhm, yeah… Why?"

"Well, she's my new best friend- and I need to go see her. I have make sure she's okay," Luan sort of explains.

"Huh?" Is all Lori can get out.

"Look, any minute now, Luna is going to distract everyone. Then, you're gonna take me to Maggie."

"Maggie?"

"The girl!"

"Oh. Uhm, okay? I will, I guess, but- why?"

"Because… She means a lot to me, okay?" Luan says, rubbing her arm, looking at the ground.

Lori raises an eyebrow.

"Luan… Are you-?"

Suddenly, they can hear some very loud music playing.

Foreigner- to be exact.

Lori opens the door, and Luan cowers behind her.

Out in the main hall, Luna is standing on a table, using a rolled up magazine as a mock microphone, singing along to the chorus of "Feels Like the First Time."

Everyone seems to be surrounding her, or at least paying attention to her. Some people, like Dr. Wells, are amused. Others, like Lynn, Sr. and Rita, are not.

And of course, Leni just joyfully sings along. "Feels like the third time! Feels like the very third time!"

As Luna breaks into "Won't you open up the door!" she nonchalantly points to Luan.

"I think that's your cue," Lori whispers.

"Right," Luan says, and they scurry out into the main hall.

They pass several spectators, all giving them concerned glances, making their way to the far end of the east corridor.

"It's just up ahead," Lori tells her.

Suddenly, Lynn, Sr. shouts at them from down the way they came.

"Lori Loud! Get your butt back here!"

They halt.

Lori looks at Luan, who looks like she may cry.

"You go on ahead, I'll take the heat for this one," she says with a soft smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Now go before I change my mind," she says.

"Thanks," Luan says with a smile, and she hurries to the end of the corridor.

She peeks in one door, then another, and another. No Maggie.

"Dang it! Where is she?"

She looks in through the pane of the only remaining door.

And sure enough, lying in a bed with all sorts of tubes rigged up to her, is the girl she's looking for.

"Maggie!"

She rushes into the room, and stops.

All the tubes and monitors, seeing her the way she is now- it's devastating.

But she's here, and it's really her.

"Oh Maggie…" she whimpers, tears coming to her eyes.

"Luan!" she can hear her father worriedly shout from the hallway.

She disregards him, and heads over to her friend.

She gets right up to her.

"Maggie… Please wake up… Please…" she cries, resting her hand on her cheek.

…

And suddenly, she feels a powerful surge of energy course violently through her body.

It's equal parts painful and exhilarating.

She begins convulsing, and her eyes flash blue.

She can feel that same groping in her skull that she did just before.

Lynn, Sr. and the rest of the Louds hurry into the room, and watch as Luan lets out a terrible shriek, then falls to the floor.

She can just barely hear them all yelling "Luan!" in unison, and then it fades to black.

* * *

 **So, this chapter was difficult to write for a few reasons. The biggest being that I am by no means a medical expert.**

 **The Dr. Wells character- I go back and forth between visualizing Patrick Dempsey (of course) and Principal Wells. Do whatever you want all you rock and rollers.**

 **Also, please tell me you guys got the Luna song references?!**

 **Anywho... Next week will see a transition into some serious Silent Hill territory, and I can't wait. As much as I like the mushy, fluffy stuff (and trust me, there will be plenty more,) I also really like my creepy pasta. So there you go.**

 **Until then, true believers.**


	13. The Room

**Magic Conch, what should my readers listen to today?... Hmm... My Sweet Lord by George Harrison? A Little Piece of Heaven by Avenged Sevenfold? Wait and Bleed by Slipknot?... My, my Magic Conch- all very good choices!**

 **I hope all my Silent Hill references don't completely go over everyone's heads... There's some gold here.**

* * *

The Golden Hour: that special time of day where the sun casts just the perfect amount of light over the horizon.

For some, it's the perfect time of day to take family photos, or sit out on the porch and play guitar.

For Maggie, it's a friendly reminder that the day is coming to an end.

Or in this case, a new beginning.

She wakes up to faint beams of daylight emitting through the blinds of her bedroom window, just happening to graze her eyes.

At first, there's comfort in familiarity.

Then there's the realization that- she's not supposed to be here.

She jumps out of bed, and takes a look around at everything surrounding her.

There's some pictures of friends and family taped to the dresser, a mirror with her other favorite purple sweatshirt draped above it, a magazine flipped open to the page of the purple hair-do she really thought she wanted, and of course, her Daryl Dixon plushy Mom secretly gave her for her birthday.

Posters of punk bands plastered all over the walls, clothes all over the amethyst colored carpet; it's her bedroom alright.

But how did she get here?

"Woah… I've got to be tripping…" she thinks aloud.

Also strange, she's back in her usual wardrobe. Hair down, blue T over a striped undershirt, and a purple skirt. Her dark purple boots sit at the end of the bed as they always do when they're not on her feet.

She takes a look in the mirror.

She seems well enough- not going to win a Miss Cute & Mean pageant anytime soon, but still normal.

 _"What the heck is going on?"_

She laces up her boots, and peers out the blinds of her window.

Everything's perfectly normal, if not a little quiet.

She rushes out her bedroom door, and downstairs to the kitchen.

"Mom?... Mom?!" she calls out.

"Anybody?!"

No response.

"This is… too weird…"

It's as if nothing ever happened.

Mom and Step-douche always leave early in the morning, and bratty brother is too square not be late for school, so she can see how it's possible that this was all just some weird dream.

Or nightmare.

On the other hand, it just doesn't seem _right_.

It's been two weeks. _Two weeks!_

Nobody dreams for fourteen days, nobody would let her sleep that long anyway, unless she was comatose, and even then she'd be in a hospital probably, and it didn't _feel_ like a dream, or nightmare, or whatever!

She decides to try and find her phone- just to see if this is really happening, that things are really back to normal.

As she searches for the thing, she decides to try the TV. Maybe the news can tell her what day it is.

She flips it on, but there's nothing but static.

Which is strange, considering it's an Ultra HD fifty inch plasma and this is 2017.

She turns it off, and slowly backs away.

 _"Maybe things aren't so normal after all…"_

Suddenly, she hears her ringtone playing.

She looks all around for it, and it goes on much longer than it's supposed to.

"What the heck?!" she blurts out.

Finally, she thinks she's found the source of the ringing.

Oddly enough, the front door of their home is vibrating.

She gets close enough to see that, somehow, her phone is _inside_ the door.

"What the-"

But that's not even the strangest part.

Just outside their front lawn, she can she Royal Woods Middle School.

* * *

She exits through the door, catching the sensational aroma of autumn air.

Between that and the perfect stratospheric colors created by the sun, it's almost enough to get high.

But, there's the school- just across the street.

And it just gets stranger.

She turns back, considering going back inside to maybe grab a few things, or just all around stall.

But she can't.

Her house is gone.

All she can see is an endless horizon, as if she's on the edge of the earth.

 _"This is unreal…"_

She does her best to regain composure, and goes the only way there is to go- to the school.

She makes her way into the intimidating building. Once inside, she sees that no one is here.

Everything else is exactly the same, though. The trophy cases full of Rooster trophies, anti-bullying propaganda decorated all over the lockers and walls, even the poster for the upcoming "Those Were My Beans, Max," play where someone drew a dick-butt meme on Benny's forehead.

But no people.

"What in the world is going on?"

She can hear music playing from somewhere further in the building:

*I really want to see you… Really want to be with you… Really want to see you, lord but it takes so long, my lord… My sweet lord…*

She follows it, and on her way comes to the eighth grader lockers.

One of the lockers is wide open.

She approaches it, and looks at the contents inside.

There's a Mick Foley esque, "Have a Nice Day," smiley magnet, some fliers for the play, a bundle of yellow cards, and- an inhaler.

"Luan…" she utters.

Upon closer inspection, the yellow cards are actually Funny Business, Inc. cards. There is also a black composition book.

When she picks it up, she sees a happy panoramic shot of the Loud family.

 _"They seem… nice."_

Then, she nosily opens up the book.

And of course, it's a joke book.

 **Why can't your nose be twelve inches long? Because then it would be a Foot!**

 **I was gonna tell you a Pizza joke, but it's too Cheesy!**

 **Mike Pence always looks like he's about to pass legislation against Mutants!**

She's about to read a fourth anecdote, but a slip of paper falls out of the book.

She closes it and puts it back in the locker, then grabs the paper off the floor.

 **1-800-273-8255**.

 _"Oh Luan… I'm sorry…"_

She wads the paper up in a ball, and makes a shot for the nearest recycling bin.

Close enough anyway.

She shuts the locker door, and resumes following the music.

It gradually becomes more audible as she makes her way down the hall, and just as it's reached it's highest pitch, it suddenly stops.

And it's highly likely that it was coming from the room with its door wide open.

* * *

Mr. Andrews' room. Of course.

She takes a deep breath, and makes her way inside.

All of the desks have been placed into a semi-circle around the center of the class room.

Except for one.

And its sits in the middle of them all, but more importantly, a young woman with light brown hair is sitting on it, humming the same tune that was blaring just moments ago.

She turns to face Maggie.

It's Luan Loud.

She's wearing her hair down, and is dressed in a sleeveless button down white shirt, a plain yellow skirt, and a new pair of brown slip-ons.

Basically, a slightly more formal version of her usual wardrobe.

But not only does she dress differently; she's wearing perfect shades of blush, eye shadow, and lip balm.

She carries herself differently too.

It's sexy.

Maggie can hardly get out a word, but eventually fumbles out, "Luan?!"

She softly flips her hair.

"Hey you," she says with a smile, recrossing her legs. "What took you so long?"

Maggie isn't sure how to respond.

The last time she saw Luan, she wasn't at all like this. At least, that's what she remembers.

She just mumbles some incoherent jibberish, and Luan stands up.

She slowly struts over to her. "Hmm… I'd ask if a cat's got your tongue… But I'd FE-LYIN!" She lets out her signature laugh, then arches her eyebrows as she gently presses the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

Maggie can't tell if she's being flirty, or deceptive, or maybe even condescending.

But nothing about this feels right.

"Luan-" she begins, but the other girls cuts her off with a playful hissy cat gesture.

And she snidely giggles- uncharacteristically, about it.

Maggie wears her discomfort on her sleeve, and she picks up on this.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mags," she says with a pout.

"But hey. We don't have to worry anymore. We're together again!" she excitedly declares.

Maggie still isn't sold.

"…Where are we?" she asks.

"Uhm… It kind of looks like school to me," Luan patronizingly answers.

Maggie scowls. "That's not what I mean."

Luan winces. "Well… It doesn't matter," she says, and she smiles again. "We have each other now. You have me… I have you… Isn't that what you want?" she suggestively asks.

"…What I want is a straight answer."

Luan seems disappointed with her response.

"I wish I had one…" she bemoans.

With all the mixed signals, it's hard for Maggie to channel just any one emotion.

Luan begins pacing around her.

"But… I do know one thing… No matter where we are, or what we do… You never have to be alone again…" she methodically tells her.

"You're not Luan," Maggie blatantly says to her.

And she becomes offended. "What?!" she says with a sneer.

"You're acting too weird- and this place?! This isn't real…" Maggie thinks aloud.

Luan- or whatever she perceives to be Luan, isn't amused by this statement.

She slowly steps to her, and locks eyes.

"That isn't true, Maggie," she says, and she places her hand to her cheek. "See, I'm real."

And although her hand is warm, her eyes are cold- not like the Luan she knows.

She just slightly moves her head enough to remove contact, and looks down to the floor.

"Who are you?"

The girl props herself back on the desk.

"It doesn't matter who I am. I'm here for you," she firmly states.

Maggie slowly turns around.

"Isn't that what you've always wanted? Someone to talk to, to trust you, to tell all your secrets?" she interrogates, stepping back off the desk.

She slithers her way over to Maggie. "Even before you came to Silent Hill, you wanted someone like me right?"

Maggie quickly makes her way for the door.

But she's met by a tall, gruff, intimidating man.

It's her father.

"Or maybe you just need a little discipline, huh? Yeah, I know what you need," he says.

She quickly turns back around, and Luan gets in her face.

"Awh… I know. Family right? Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em," she snidely says with a shrug.

"That is… until you can..." and she wickedly laughs.

The man is gone.

So, even though Maggie knows that this is all out of her control, she decides to run.

* * *

As she escapes into the hallway, she can still hear the evil manifestation of Luan cackling.

Whatever this place is: whether it's Silent Hill, some otherworld, or nowhere- she wants out.

As she runs around a corner, the lighting gives way to an ominous, darker hue.

Graffiti now covers the walls: red Halo of the Sun symbols, macabre drawings, and almost hieroglyphic writings in both black and red ink.

The poster for the theatre presentation now depicts Luan and Pyramid Head side by side.

Bugs begins to crawl out from underneath the lockers.

And Luan's locker is now full of assorted medicines, tubing, and plastic baggies.

She perseveres through it, refusing to let this nightmare subjugate her.

The intercom buzzes as she makes her way around the bend to the main entrance.

*Attention students,* evil Luan begins over the intercom. *Would someone please tell Margaret to stop by my office, it's really BUGGING me! Hahaha!*

Maggie just rushes to the door, ignoring all the insects scurrying about.

*Now Maggie, you know there's no running in the halls…*

But of course, the entrance is locked now.

So, she heads down the next hall, hoping to find some way out.

The next hall is much more otherworldly. There's rust, water dripping from the ceiling, all the windows are barred, and the floors are replaced by grating.

*Maggie, your father's here to pick you up. You should really come to the office, it's DRIVING him crazy! Hahaha!*

She just keeps running, but there's nothing- all the doors are locked or rusted shut.

*Maggie- It's A-DOOR-ABLE that you want to keep running, but it's OFFICE-CIALLY getting old!... Oh come on, that was funny! Seriously though, come to the office! Now!*

Evidently, there's nothing left to do, and no hope of escaping. So, she reluctantly complies and heads for the office.

She stands outside the door, and takes a deep breath. It reads: **302**.

Whatever sort of hell this is, she decides that it will just be easier to see the endgame than pissing off whoever this is trying to get inside her head.

After all, if they really wanted to hurt her, they already would have, right?

Right?

* * *

She makes her way through the door.

But inside, there is no principal's office.

It's just- some room.

Like an apartment.

She looks over her shoulder, and the hallways are still that of a school, but there's an actual apartment where the office should be.

She slowly makes her way in, and- of course, the door slams itself shut.

"Hey!" she shouts, and she pounds on it, jiggles the knob, pulls it, everything she's physically capable of doing, and nothing works.

"Why are you doing this! Let me out!" she yells.

No response.

"Dang it!" she curses, and she turns around to face the room.

There's a door to her immediate right, but it's locked too.

To the left, there's the kitchen, and the rest of the room is composed of a comfortably spacious living area. It's actually not so bad, if not a little jaded.

There's a TV set, a large trunk, a bookshelf, and a table and furniture.

Nothing particularly interesting there.

What _is_ interesting though, is that there are several splotches on the wall where some pictures used to hang.

Even more interesting, two windows covered by blinds.

Predictably though, she pulls them up to discover that glasses are completely stained. There's no looking through them.

She sighs, and decides to make her way down the one hall of the apartment.

She sees that there are two doors, one to the left, and one to the right, and they're both open.

Before she gets too far ahead though, she hears what sounds like a "psst."

And it happens again, just a little louder.

She makes her way back to the main room.

"Hey, over here," she hears them whisper.

She follows it the couch, then the bureau to its left.

"You're getting warmer…" the voice snidely remarks.

Upon closer inspection, she sees that there are marks on the floor where the bureau has been moved.

So she scoots it to the side, and this reveals a tiny hole in the wall, just big enough to peek through.

She kneels down, and does just that.

And on the other side is a normal bedroom. A bed, a dresser, some clothe hungs up on a-

"AHHH!"

Maggie jumps back, then hears familiar laughter.

She looks back into the hole, and evil Luan is on the other side, now wearing a black skirt. She sits on the bed, looking directly into the peephole from a safe distance.

And she has the audacity to wave.

"You bitch! Let me out of here!" Maggie yells.

"Hey- Language!" she mocks.

Maggie snarls. "You think this is a game?!"

"Hey! We haven't gotten to that part yet!"

Maggie just keeps snarling. "Who are you? What do you want from me?!"

She sardonically grins, then scowls back. "I already told you everything you need to know, and you wouldn't have it. I'm trying to be your friend here, Maggie. I really am. But if you want to keep running and being nasty… Well- Let's just say the joke's on you."

Maggie groans. "At least tell me what you did to Luan- the real Luan."

She winces. "Fine. I guess I'll give you that much… She's exactly where she belongs: back in your little hick town Royal Woods, far away from here, where she won't be in the way anymore… Assuming you don't act up again," she says with a frown, crossing her arms.

"What? Act up?"

And she laughs. "Like I said lover girl- You know all I need you to know. I've got you where I want you, and there's no changing that!"

The scorning anger that has built up inside of Maggie begins to change into the feeling of defeat. She almost wants to cry, but she refuses to give this entity the satisfaction of seeing her do so.

"Anyway, to show you that things can be a lot better between us- I decided we're going to play a little game! You and Luan like playing games, so this _should_ be fun for you!" she states, standing up from the bed and colorfully gesticulating.

And Maggie comes to a realization.

"You're her. That woman… You've been watching us…"

She grins. "Bingo!" she responds, using her finger to mimic booping her nose.

"So why me? Why not her too?"

She groans. "Enough of the questions, already! We're done with that game!... No, I have something else in mind… See, I know you're a little lockpicker, and since I need a little more time before we're ready to play our next game, I decided to test out your skills… Think of it as- a puzzle."

"I hate puzzles," Maggie responds with her trademark frown, with much more hate than usual.

"Well… That's too bad… Maybe you'll like our next game much better," she tells her as she comes face to face through the hole, wearing a sinister smile. "Until then, you better get to work... Mags."

She steps away from the hole, and disappears from sight.

Maggie lets out a growl, and just sits there feverishly panting for a little while.

Many choice words come to her mind, and images of violently dealing with the Luan imposter.

But, as mom likes to say when she throws her tantrums, "crying will get you nowhere."

So, she sighs, and stands up. She makes her way back over to the door.

And boy- did this game just get even shittier.

There are now several chains and padlocks all over the door.

She can't even voice her frustration, she just sort of involuntarily moves her hands.

 _"Where do I even begin?!"_

* * *

After what seems like an eternity of going through the living room, bathroom, and bedroom, she has officially given up.

There are no bobby pins, knives, keys, nail files, nothing. Not even paper clips.

She even thought about digging her hand through the gunk in the toilet, but decided she wasn't quite brave enough to do it.

She exhaustingly makes her way to the tiny hole in the wall, and takes a seat.

"Hey, evil, fake Luan- whatever lady… I give up… There's seriously nothing here I can use to get that door open… If you're gonna kill me or drain my life force- possess me- whatever it is you weird ghost people do, just do it already. I'd rather put up with that than being bored to death," she snarkily, pseudo-truthfully vents.

She waits for a moment, but there's no response.

"Of course. You have stuff to say when I don't wanna hear you, but when I have something to say-"

And suddenly, there's a loud thud.

It sounds like it's come from the main door.

So, she rushes over there, but nothing appears to have changed.

"Oh God damn it! That dumb bitch and her shoes!" she can hear imposter Luan shout from somewhere in the distance.

Then, the strange locked door to the inaccessible room of the apartment suddenly opens.

"Okay…" Maggie utters, and she creeps inside.

It's a storage room, and there are plenty of tools scattered around the floor and on top of the washer and drier to the right.

"Jackpot!"

She rummages through them, and picks up a hammer, three different screwdrivers, and even a lighter.

 _"Okay, this oughta do it."_

Unfortunately, none of her tools have helped.

It's like every time she gets her hopes up, some supernatural force- the woman, Silent Hill, or just life in general- has to push her back down again.

And at this point, she's held back the tears long enough.

So, she begins to cry.

And for a little while, that's all she does. She just sits there by the chained door and lets her tears fall.

But even that gets old soon enough, and there's only so much a person can cry in one sitting.

So, she makes her way to the bathroom to try and relevel her head, and wash her face off.

 _"At least there's running water,"_ she thinks.

However, as she looks at herself in the mirror, she notices something new.

There's a small crack where the sink meets the wall.

It may just be an ordinary crack, but there's something unusual about it's curvature and placement.

It's as if there is something hidden behind it.

With nothing left to lose, she hurries back to grab her tools, and returns to start bashing the sink off the wall with the hammer.

And, her theory seems to have merit.

Where there was a small crack, there is now a large crack, and it looks as if the wall was redone to cover up something.

So, with the tools, she works on smashing and picking her way through, until she discovers the secret of Room 302.

Behind the wall, there is a large, open hole that seems to have no end.

Around the hole is a border that resembles the ominous red Halo of the Sun.

She drops her tools and catches her breath, unsure of how to feel.

On one hand, she's relieved that there finally seems to be a way out. On the other, she feels a sense of dread as she stares into this black abyss. There's no way to tell what's on the other side.

Except to crawl through it and find out.

She thinks of Luan, the real Luan, and what she would do. She would likely tell a stupid joke, then say something along the lines of, "We have to get out of here, get back home, see our families- Join theatre Maggie!," and then talk about their feelings as they walk into another death trap.

And in that moment of visualizing her wonderful, bright smiling face, she makes her decision.

She's willing to take the risk of crawling through this strange, evil hole if it means there's even the slightest chance she'll she that girls face again.

So, with nothing much else left to do, she takes a deep breath, and makes her way into the hole.

And it's dark, grimy, and smells horrible.

 _"But at least I didn't have to put my hand in the toilet."_

* * *

 **I had fun with this chapter. I tried not to take it too seriously, but seriously enough that our antagonist and protagonist weren't laughable. I hope my efforts weren't for naught. As always, thanks for reading.**


	14. Lights

Luan Loud wakes from a deep, dreamless sleep.

Although, it's hard to say what exactly is going on with reality at this point- let alone dreams.

There's a weird tingling in her skull, and the faint sound of sirens somewhere in the distance.

She finds herself curled up on the cold, damp ground of a very dark place.

As she rises up, she can hear a door creaking open, and looks to see that it is just before her.

The door is just barely cracked, and it appears that this is just a dark, empty room. It's function and purpose will likely remain a mystery to Luan forever, like many things in Silent Hill.

Or, wherever this is.

 _"I don't know anymore… This place, whatever that was- seeing my family, seeing Maggie… I just don't know… But… I have to find her. No matter what it takes…"_

She goes through the door, and discovers a well-lit, seemingly ordinary hallway. There's a window at the very end, and she can see that it is dark and rainy outside.

She makes her way through, and the faint sound of sirens has disappeared. However, she can now hear a radio emitting static somewhere close by.

There's a bend at the end of the hall, and it takes her down another corridor.

There's a door to her right, but it's locked. She can also see there's a door at the very end of the corridor, and another bend on the left hand side.

She progresses, and the bend leads to what appears to be an entrance door.

Unsurprisingly, it is locked.

Luan remembers that she has super powers, or did, or- does? But she's too weak to even try and use them, assuming she still has that capability.

Parallel to the entrance is a little bureau with some framed photos of strangers, an ugly plant, and a little radio.

She picks it up, and maybe it's broken, or not, but there's no monsters anywhere, so she turns it off. The she holds it to her chest.

"Maggie…" she utters, missing her.

And she just stands there a for a moment to contemplate, then places the radio back on the bureau.

She turns to the left, and makes her way through the door at the end of the hall.

She just barely gets her hand on the knob, then hears a rapping from behind her.

It's the door that was on the right-hand side of the hallway, closest to the bend.

She cautiously approaches it, and it continues rapping like it may open. As she comes within arms reach, she can hear what sounds like a baby crying.

Her heart begins pounding, and she almost instinctively conjures up a ball of energy.

 _"Thank god!"_ she thinks, hoping this is an indicator she's where she needs to be to find and save Maggie.

But that doesn't change what's happening here and now.

So, she places her hand on the knob of the rapping door, and quickly flings it open.

But nothing appears to be inside, and the crying has disappeared.

She uses her energy to scan what appears to be an ordinary bathroom, and that's really all it is.

 _"These stupid B-movie horror tropes are getting old."_

She lets the ball of energy dissipate, and leaves the bathroom.

When she reenters the corridor, the lights flicker, but they don't shut off.

And she just groans.

 _"Somebody's gonna pay for putting me through this bullshit."_

She goes back to the door she didn't get to open, and fortunately, it lets her through.

There's a small set of stairs, and another door at the very end.

And she easily passes through this one, too.

It takes her into a hallway _exactly_ like the first one.

"Oh, not this crap again!" she shouts.

And as soon as she does, the lights shut off.

She quickly creates another light, and looks around to make sure no monsters are here.

No lights, but no monsters. Fair enough.

With that, she continues down the dark, narrow hallway back to the bend.

When she comes to it, she sees that there are bugs on the walls and floors, and the radio is emitting static again.

The door to the bathroom is gently swaying open, and suddenly, the evil white figure from before slams it shut.

It startles Luan, but then she just gets angry. She tries to pull the thing open, but it won't budge.

She considers just blasting it down, but she knows that the woman won't be there when she does, and it's best not to waste the energy.

 _"If I'm gonna survive this, I need to keep a cool head. Or, hand, I guess."_

So, she continues down the rest of the hall, minding the creepy crawlies, and goes through the first door, and the door that comes after it.

And _again_ she finds herself in the same hallway.

But now, all the lights are red.

And while Luan would like to keep her focus on being angry and vengeful, she can't help but be afraid.

Even the light in her hand can't combat the ominous red lighting.

She keeps moving though, and comes to that predictable bend.

Now, things are getting interesting.

Unlike before, there's a new corridor, and like the one she just passed, there's a window at the very end. Through that window, she can see a beam of light is shining through, but it snuffs out just as she comes to it.

Like someone was using a flashlight.

There's another bend, and this time, there are picture frames with strange moving eyes in them. And it's terrifying.

Finally, she starts running. She keeps passing through new corridors with the same creepy eyes, bugs too, and the sound of a radio slowly picking up the signal to a song.

And of course, it would be Maggie May.

She finally reaches a bend in which there is a door to the right hand side.

She doesn't even hesitate, she just runs through it.

It turns out to be the same bathroom as before, and she takes a moment to catch her breath.

She checks herself out in the mirror, and there's all sorts of crud keeping her from fully seeing herself, but just enough actual mirror left to see part of her reflection.

More importantly, she sees what's behind her.

At first, she thinks it's the evil woman, or maybe a puppet, but it's something else. Something more disturbing.

It's a mannequin, but it's dressed to look like Maggie. Black hair and bangs, purple sweatshirt tied around the waist, the boots, all of it. There's even three little crudely drawn "freckles" on each of its cheeks.

She studies it for a moment, and it reminds her just why she's so angry in the first place.

Somewhere, that bitch has Maggie. And Luan is _going_ to get her back.

She makes her way to the door, but notices a glimmer out of the corner of her eye.

It's coming from- the toilet.

She shines her orb of light on it, and inside the bowl, there's some disgusting gunk, and something shiny lodged in it.

It really is disgusting, but she's been trained to somewhat tolerate disgusting.

 _"Thanks Lana… Now I kind of miss those boogers…"_

She disregards it, and makes her way back to the creepy hallway.

Fortunately, the red lighting is gone, Maggie May has stopped playing, and everything seems back to status quo.

And finally, she decides enough is enough.

She goes to the door that seems to be the entrance, and gives it a hardy blast.

And- nothing.

Disbelief.

She tries again, a little harder this time, but it still doesn't come down.

"Oh come on!" she shouts, feeling herself become a little lightheaded.

She takes a deep breath, and takes a closer look at the door.

It seems like a normal door alright, but the darn thing's made of stern stuff.

She sees that there's a peephole, and out of curiosity, looks through it.

On the other side, she sees herself laughing. Only, it's not herself. It can't possibly be.

But it is- just dressed little differently, and she's out there having a jolly old time at her own expense.

She wags her finger back and forth as if to say, "No, no, no," and then takes off running.

 _"Okay… I'm officially done with this place."_

Luan tries just opening the thing again, but it's still locked.

She lets out a groan, and just stands there for a moment.

Then the proverbial lightbulb goes off over her head, but even she's doubtful of her own idea.

"It can't be, can it?" she questions out loud.

 _"But this is Silent Hill… So…"_

And with that, she returns to the bathroom.

* * *

 _"I can't believe I'm about to do this,"_ Luan thinks, covering her mouth with her shirt.

The worst part is, there's no running water- she checked, and there's no washing her hands after this.

But she decides not to put it off any longer, and sticks her hand right inside the disgusting gunk clogging up the toilet.

It's easily the worst feeling that's ever stimulated the nerves of her skin.

She finally grabs ahold of something solid, and pulls it out, being careful not to get any crap on her clothes.

And wouldn't you know it, there's a key.

"This- better- be- my- KEY- out of- here…" she mumbles through her shirt.

She desperately tries the sink again, but no water.

 _"And I thought this was SHITTY before. Well, WATER you waiting for Luan…"_

She heads back over to the entrance door, and peeks out the peephole again.

No doppelganger.

Regardless, she tries to get the key in the keyhole, and…

 _"Oh my god!"_

It fits.

She has a little trouble unlocking the thing- she always has trouble with keys, but she's finally able to get the door open.

And thank god it's raining.

She rushes out, and holds back the urge to shout "Freedom!" in the most cliché way imaginable.

But she can't afford to be stupid, she learned that lesson at the "Dumvph" as Bady called it.

So, she just smiles, and holds her hands out in a cup to collect as much rain as possible to rinse most the crap off her hand.

 _"I'd kill for some soap,"_ she thinks.

But beggars can't be choosers.

Once she's gotten settled, she takes a look around.

There's something even stranger than usual about this street she's on.

There are no other houses, just a couple street lamps and a sidewalk, and it seems like there's nothing else in the distance.

It's like a street floating somewhere outside of the real world.

 _"It doesn't matter. I'm here, wherever this is, and I'm betting Maggie is too. It's no coincidence that I touched her, and then I'm whisked away."_

With that, she decides to get a move on, going the only way there is to go.

* * *

Making her way through the pouring rain, Luan realizes just how bad things really are.

It was different with Maggie by her side. She was a bit of a drag there for a while, but even then it was better than being alone.

And when she finally got her to open up, she was wonderful. Awesome. Amazing. Lovable.

All sorts of those things.

But alone, it's ironically clear now that she's apparently sitting in a hospital somewhere- yet here somehow, being gunned by a crazy evil lady. And "here" is a place she can't just up and leave either.

Worse yet, this road is starting to seem an awful lot like a certain never ending hallway.

That is, until she sees the beam of a flashlight.

It's wielder does a sort of double take, then focuses on Luan. Could it be Maggie?!

She rushes over to find out, but the other person doesn't budge.

So, here she is all doe-eyed before them, and she shields her vision because the thing is really bright.

"Fine?!" she hears a familiar voice say, and they finally lower the light.

She looks up to see none other than Bady standing before her.

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Or, dang it. Luan! Yeah, that's it!" she corrects herself.

"…Bady? What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you! I've got _a lot_ to explain… But- can we get out of this rain first? I don't want to ruin my new uggs."

"I'm all for that… So what, those Gianvitos weren't good enough for you?" Luan snidely quips.

"Oh, no. They're great. Thanks!" she happily replies, failing to pick up on the sarcasm.

Regardless, they young ladies rush forward.

Finally, they see some new, shimmering lights up ahead in the distance.

"There it is!" Bady hollers.

"There's what?!" Luan asks.

Bady doesn't answer, she just hurriedly leads her to the front steps of the place, and pulls open the door.

Luan stops, and gets a better view.

"School?"

"…Are you coming?" Bady asks.

Luan perks back up, and heads on in.

* * *

Bady lets the door shut, then takes her vest off.

"Ugh! I hate being wet!" she whines.

Luan just looks at her as she shakes and pats her vest, trying to wring some of the rain out.

She feels kind of happy to see her, but also a little betrayed from earlier.

She finally gives up on the vest, and puts it back on.

"Bady…" Luan begins.

"You have no idea what I went through to get here," Bady says with a laugh. "There was this huge thing of windy stairs, and a Shiba Inu, and- Ooh! A flying shiny thingy in the sky!"

"Bady, what happened back there?" she gets out.

"Back where?"

"The shoe store…"

"Oh… That…" she somberly replies as she rubs her arm.

"I don't know really… I guess it was pretty silly. I'm sorry," she pouts.

And Luan really can't stay mad at her.

"Oh… It's okay. I'm SHOE you didn't mean anything by it," she jokes with a soft smile.

"…Was that a pun?" Bady asks.

"Yeah. It was a pun."

Bady giggles, then puts on a serious face.

"Alright, I have something important to tell you."

"Okay? Shoot, Bady."

"Well- This isn't easy- uhm… I'm sort of not a _real_ person," she confesses.

And Luan just raises an eyebrow.

"See… Uhm… How do I put this? I guess I'm like, a 'man-i-fes-ta-tion' or whatever," she tries to explain.

"Uhm, okay?" Luan simply responds, taking a seat along the wall.

Bady joins her. "See, this place- it's called the Otherworld. And it's a bad place. It's kind of like- another dimension, where bad things happen to good people, because of some things bad people did a long time ago… Then's there's the Fog World. That's where Silent Hill is, kind of. The one you saw anyway…"

"Okay… But what does that have to do with you?" Luan asks.

"Well… the thing is… I guess I'm like, what's left of old Silent Hill. Like, what used to be good about it. Something good to make up for all the bad, you know?"

"…Yeah, I guess so," Luan tells her, actually feeling kind of sorry for her.

"Okay, good," she says with a smile.

"Now, you're here because of Maggie," she continues, standing back up.

"What?" Luan says, perking up.

"Yeah. See, you're not the only one with powers."

"Maggie has powers, too. They're just- different than yours."

"What do you mean she has powers?"

"Well, she has the power to come in and out of Otherworld and Fog World whenever she wants. I just don't think she has it figured out yet."

"That doesn't make any sense?! If she can do that, how did I get here?" Luan asks, and she stands up now, too.

"Well… I guess she like, has an emotional bond with you. And when she started thinking about you, that's how you got here," she speculates.

Luan takes a moment to form a rebuttal.

"Okay, I'm trying to understand. But how did I get here in the first place? We hardly knew each other before all this?"

Bady shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe she just liked you anyway?"

"Uhm… Let's see… What else…" Bady thinks aloud.

"Okay, time out-" Luan interrupts. "How do you know all this stuff?" she asks.

"Hmm… I guess I have- like, lost memories? They just sort of come back to me. I don't know, it's hard to explain…" she admits.

"You're telling me," Luan remarks.

"Anyway, do you know where Maggie is?" she finally asks.

"…Well, I know she was here… But I think Alessa may have gotten to her," Bady answers.

"Alessa?"

"Yeah. You know that creepy lady? Well, once she found out about Maggie, she started coming after her."

"But why?" Luan dejectedly asks.

"Well, Maggie's powers don't just let her come into otherworld, they also make other people's powers work better," Bady explains.

"…So, kind of like me?" Luan speculates.

"Uh huh!" she excitedly responds.

"Okay… I think I get it," Luan says, thinking back to all those times where her powers were too much for her handle, and Maggie was always there.

"Alrighty then. Now, let's-"

"Hold on a sec, Bady. One more thing. Where did my powers come from anyway?" Luan asks.

"Hmm… Probably has something to do with your mommy being preggers when she came here. I can't really say for sure. Same thing for Maggie and her mommy… Boy, you two were just like- meant to end up together, huh?" she says.

"Yeah, maybe…"

Bady can see that she's worried, and confused, and all around uncomfortable.

She places her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I know you. You're really brave and a _super_ awesome friend. We'll find her," she insists with a smile.

And Luan can't help but feel a little better. Bady's just too cool.

"Thanks. Now, let's go SCHOOL this Alessa chick!" she declares.

And Bady takes a minute to get the joke, but then she laughs.

It's one of Luan's pet peeves, but with everything going on, she lets it pass.

That, and something else is bothering her more.

"Uhm, before we do anything else though, I really gotta wash my hands."

"I won't ask," Bady comments.

"Please don't. Let's just say I went through some SHIT to get here, too."

* * *

They find the boy's restroom.

"Luan, you're not supposed to go in there!" Bady worriedly says.

"Relax. Nobody else is here. Besides, I'm kind of curious to see a urinal."

Bady looks confused. "I'm a what?"

"What? Oh- not 'you're a nil-' I mean- Oh, never mind."

They go inside, and Luan immediately heads for the sink and the gooey pink hand soap. "Oh thank god. At least there's something sacred left in this place," she says, and begins thoroughly washing her hands, then face.

Suddenly, the lights shut off, and Bady yelps.

Luan instantly conjures up a ball of light, and sees Bady cowering against the wall.

She turns around, and sees the evil woman. She's smiling.

Luan panics, but quickly recovers to deliver a blast of energy.

But the entity vanishes.

"She's so scary!" Bady remarks, getting behind Luan.

Then, the familiar ringing of sirens sounds off.

Luan drops to her knees, but Bady seems unphased. "Luan!" she cries, coming to her aid.

This time, she doesn't black out. She just waits for it to pass.

And when she rises up again, she sees that everything has changed to its true Otherworldly form.

The girls just share a look, then they hear the grumbling of monsters from outside.

"Oh no!" Bady cries.

But Luan isn't afraid anymore.

In fact, she's ticked off.

She just stretches her hands, and prepares to make her way back out into the treacherous halls of this nightmare version of Royal Woods Middle School.

"Alright Alessa, no more funny business."

* * *

She barges out the door, much to Bady's chagrin. "They're gonna find us!" she quietly cries.

But Luan doesn't care. Someone has to pay for everything she's been through- and these mindless grunts will do nicely.

Two of them pop out of a corner, and she blasts them down with ease.

And Bady's jaw drops.

Luan just keeps pressing forward, and Bady snaps herself out of it to follow her.

They pass a bend, and there are three more Puppets in the hall. They charge for the girls, and Luan blasts one, then another.

The third manages to dodge two of her blasts, and keeps charging.

"Luan, look out!" Bady says.

And she side steps just as Bady rushes forward.

…With a frying pan.

She bludgeons the creature right in the head, stunning it. It just screeches at her, and she runs away screaming.

Then Luan finishes it off with a clean blast.

As she leans on a locker to catch her breath, Bady comes back to her.

"Luan!"

"I know… I shouldn't have- been so reckless…"

"Actually. I was gonna say- THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Luan chuckles. "Glad you think so. Where'd you get that frying pan?" she asks.

"Oh! Remember that dog I ran into? He said I might need it!" she confidently answers.

"Of course…" Luan says. "I guess you could say it's just this DOG-gone place."

Bady laughs a hardy laugh. "You're too funny, Luan!"

And she fails to hide her gratitude. "Yeah, well, this isn't quite how I had it PANNED out."

And Bady laughs an even hardier laugh.

Now she feels cocky.

"Hahaha, well not to be a POTTY mouth, but you'd SHIT if I told you how I stuck my hand in a-"

Bady cuts her off with a palm to the mouth.

"Wait Luan, we have to go to 'The Room!" she exclaims.

"What room?" she asks when Bady removes her hand.

"The Room!' Come on!" she shouts, running to the west corridor.

Luan quickly runs behind her. "Wait!"

They get to the door of the principal's office, but it's changed. For some reason, it's labeled: **302.**

Bady struggles to get the door open. "What the heck?! Open you- stupid door!"

Luan takes a deep breath. "Step back," she says, maneuvering her to the side.

She readies her hands, and delivers a powerful blast to the door.

And it blows into smithereens.

"Well, that's one way to do it," Bady comments with a smile.

"Come on," Luan instructs, leading the way inside.

And nothing in particular stands out, except for an oddly placed lighter on the floor.

As Luan kneels down to examine it, Bady opens the door to the storage room to her right.

Luan follows her in, and they see all the tools scattered on the floor.

"Okay, good. Maybe she got out," Bady thinks aloud.

"Wait, what?" Luan questions.

"Alessa brought Maggie here. I just know it," she answers.

"Well, let's find her," Luan responds, turning back for the main room.

They briefly scan the area, but no sign of Maggie.

They do notice the tiny odd hole burrowed into the wall though.

Luan peeks in.

Inside, she sees an ordinary bedroom, but more importantly, she just barely catches a glimpse of someone in a black skirt and tube socks running out of the room.

"Maggie!" she hollers, but no response.

"Come on, Luan. She couldn't have squeezed through that tiny hole," Bady assures her.

Luan doesn't say anything, she just continues her search.

They come to door of the bathroom, and it doesn't take them long to see the huge, gaping hole in the wall.

"Wowzer," Bady utters.

"Yeah- That's- a HOLE 'nother story," Luan adds.

"You think Maggie did this?" Bady asks.

"I don't know, but that has to be how she got out," Luan speculates.

She conjures up another light, and shines it inside.

But the dark tunnel just doesn't seem to end.

Luan sighs. "Well, I guess I'm going in," she nervously says.

"Well I'm coming too. I'm not gonna ditch you _again_ ," Bady insists.

"Alright, cool. I guess I'll head in first. Just keep an eye out for-"

"Oh, poop!" Bady interrupts, slapping her forehead.

"What?!"

"I forgot the- Oh, Asoph- uhm… Asa… Asopho-loph-ogis?"

"What?!" Luan repeats with more animation.

"The red stuff!" Bady reiterates.

"What red stuff?!"

"It's important! We need it to stop Alessa! It's the only way to fix her!" Bady tries to explain.

"Bady, I don't understand," Luan tells her.

"Oh, I'm sorry Luan. I have to find it! I know where it's at! I just- I won't be long! You go ahead without me!"

Although she's confused, and slightly skeptical, she's much more concerned with finding Maggie.

"Uhm, are you sure?" is all she can manage to get out.

"Yeah, yeah. You go find Maggie, Luan. I promise to help you guys! I know I let you down before but- I'll make it right! Just go!" she persists.

Before Luan can compose any more sufficient words, Bady takes off.

"Be careful, I guess."

With that, she turns her attention back to the enormous hole.

And she literally gulps.

"Well… here goes nothing…"

And as she climbs into the dark hole, she begins mentally praying.

 _"If anyone's listening- God- whoever… I'm sorry if I haven't been the best person. I know I've been selfish, and cruel sometimes, but I want you to know that I love my family. And I hope they all know that. Please look after them, and don't let them forget about me if anything happens. Please let me get back home to see them again…"_

 _"And… Please don't let anything happen to Maggie. I know I haven't known her long, but- I feel like I've finally found a true friend. Maybe even… I don't know… But, I care about her a lot. And- I don't know if I can lose her. Just please let me find her. Please keep her safe, and let me see her face again…"_

* * *

And after a very long time, she begins to see a bright light.

As she gets closer and closer to what seems to be the end of this tunnel, things beyond it begin coming into focus.

It seems that there are streetlights, and all sorts of other colorful neon lights, and some of them are moving around.

And finally, she climbs out of the damn thing.

She just sits on the ground for a moment and catches her breath.

Before she can even really make sense of anything she's looking at, she smells the combination of popcorn and funnel cake.

Then, she sees a big ugly cutout of a clown, and some big creepy pink rabbit props, and- Oh god, a Tunnel of Love.

She's been to Dairy Land enough to know an amusement park when she's in one. She doesn't even have to see the large, florescent " **Lakeside Amusement Park** " sign hanging directly above her.

And she comes to fully accept the reality of the situation.

"Ah, coconuts."

* * *

 **As always, thank all you lovely people, and this may be random, but if you or somebody you know has problems with depression or even suicidal thoughts, there are people out there who can help:) I probably should've said that a while ago but I'll say it now...**

 **Carry on my wayward sons.**


	15. Puppet Master

**Luan Loud wakes from a deep, dreamless sleep...**

 **Just having some fun:)**

 **Anyway, this chapter is as long as I am tacky, but I think ya'll can handle it.**

 **So, let's get to it. Today's mandatory listening is Master of Puppets by Metallica. I know- that's three mandatory Metallica songs now, but c'mon, it was begging to be used.**

* * *

 _"I don't know if I have the heart for this,"_ Luan thinks, not intending to make a pun, but realizing that it would have made for a good one.

Never in a million years would she have seen herself going into a Tunnel of Love- and by herself on top of that.

This is just embarrassing.

But, then she remembers how ruthless and unforgiving Otherworld is, and that just makes her feel so much better.

She enters the ridiculous attraction, taking note of all the gaudy hearts and stupid Cupid animals painted all over the walls.

 _"It's bad enough it's dark and cold, but now it's dark and cold and I'm in a Tunnel of Love all alone- with killer slug people chasing me._ "

She wouldn't have even come in here, but it was literally the only place to go. The Otherworld is like a level in a platformer game where if you fall off, you die. Only this isn't a game- and there are no resets.

So, Tunnel of Love seemed like the better alternative by a slight margin.

She comes to the beginning of the ride, and she'd really rather just walk around the dumb thing, but it looks like her only way is to get in the boat and float merrily down the stream.

But first she has to turn it on.

Luckily, it doesn't take a grease monkey like Lana or an engineer like Lisa to figure out how to twist a key and push a button. Better yet, this key is already in the ignition, and not hidden somewhere obscure.

Or in a toilet.

She shivers at the thought, and quickly goes back to repressing that memory.

Some lights colored different shades of pink kick on, and an instrumental cover of Leather and Lace begins to play over the PA system.

Luan just frowns.

 _"More like Leather and Leave,"_ she mentally quips- as if she has the choice to up and leave.

So, she takes a seat in the dingy, and it's actually kind of cozy.

And she realizes that she's being uncharacteristically cynical. She loves the rides at Dairy Land, and she's not an anti-romantic or anything.

This is just- really lame.

It's slow, it's tacky, it's for people who have nothing better to do.

Or maybe it's supposed to be laughable. Maybe the whole point is just to have fun at its expense with someone you care about.

This thought makes her feel sad, and alone.

And for whatever reason, she just now realizes something.

The black bracelet Maggie gave her to wear back at the mall is gone.

 _"I wish she was here…"_

Slowly but surely, the ride continues along, and all sorts of animatronic Cupid animals dance and kiss and all that happy jazz that Luan's never done with a special someone.

 _"Maybe it's not too late."_

As she patiently waits for this crap to be over with, she can feel her head growing heavy, and her eyes struggling to stay open.

"Boy- I'd- LOVE to take a nap…" she thinks aloud, yawning as she says 'love.'

"I thought I was your soul mate, Luan?" she hears a familiar voice say from just behind her.

She turns around, and sees Mr. Coconuts sitting just above her shoulder on the back of the seat.

"Wah!" she yelps, nearly jumping out of her seat.

And just like that, her little wooden friend is gone.

She catches her breath.

 _"Not you too, Mr. Coconuts!"_

Finally, the dreadful Tunnel of Love comes to its conclusion, and she hurries out of the tiny boat and to the exit.

* * *

She finds herself in the center of the fairgrounds, and a vague mist courses at her feet.

"Oh boy," is all she says, realizing something bad is about to happen.

She uses her power to create another light, and proceeds with caution.

There's a park legend posted on a board, and she really wants to check it out.

But there's a big pink, cartoonish bunny sitting right next to it- the park mascot evidently, and she just knows the thing will jump up and try to eat her or something when she finally begins to feel safe.

 _"I could just blast it to be sure- but I can't afford to waste my power. Stop being so paranoid, Luan. Just go check it out, and shoot his face off if he gets up!"_

She cautiously tip toes over to the board, and keeps checking on the bunny. She scans over the map, finding a red "You Are Here" blip. "Here" being the center of the fairgrounds- which she already knew.

 _"Okay, now let's find the exit… Man, it's hard to be funny with perilous danger on my mind…"_ she thinks, using her finger to map out a mental path.

But she remembers her new number one rule of Silent Hill.

If there's the opportunity for a lame horror movie trope to happen- it will.

So, she quickly turns to the bunny, ready to blast it.

And, its still not moved.

"Man, you're good," she utters.

Then, circus music begins blaring over the PA system.

She can also make out some indistinct rustling from somewhere to the east, or west, or maybe just all around her.

She uses her light to look all around, and finally, the source of the noise reveals itself.

From behind a concessions kiosk, a portly Puppet dressed like a clown and wielding a knife reveals itself.

As she takes a step back, feeling her heart pound faster, she hears the honking of a bicycle horn.

To the far right, there are two more clown puppets, and they're actually _smiling_.

She feels something grab her ankle.

"Ahh!" she screams, turning to see that- yes, it's the evil bunny mascot.

She instinctively blasts him right in the head, and he releases her.

But it's like the blast didn't even phase him.

He slowly turns his head, and meets her eyes.

And she runs like hell.

More of the clown Puppets seemingly pop out of nowhere, and one jumps out right in front of her.

She uses her powers to strike him down, and although he falls, there are still plenty more coming after her, all led by the psychotic bunny mascot.

She blasts down a steel column nearby, and it lands between her and her pursuers, creating _some_ comfort room.

But they're pretty fast, and she's getting pretty tired between her asthma and using her powers so much.

She comes to the stairs of a ride.

 **Mountain Coaster**

With few other options, she quickly ascends them, and comes to an empty track.

 _"Well… Either I'm rabbit food or I run the track… Either way, I'm JWF. Jolly well…"_

The monsters are fast approaching, so she snaps out of her mental bantering and jumps on the track.

She keeps running, even though it feels like her chest is on fire.

There are broken spots on the track, and she almost falls down a hole she just barely notices.

 _"I swear to God- If I die by falling down after everything I've been through…"_

Then, the track begins rumbling.

She can hear a horn, and can see a light shining from behind her.

She turns to see that the coaster is fast approaching, with the crazed, evil rabbit as its passenger.

She quickly resumes sprinting forward, but it's becoming too much for her, and the thing is going to smoosh her if she doesn't think of something quick.

There's a ticket booth not too far down, and- it may just be her imagination- but it looks like there's a dent on top it.

Like's she not the first person to jump off this thing.

And that's all the motivation she needs to actually do this.

So, she takes a leap of faith onto the booth, just before the coaster can rail her.

* * *

She lands on the top of the booth, evidently judging her distance well.

And she was right, there _was_ a dent on top of it.

 _"Looks like I'm not the only fat ass to jump on this thing."_

She hops off, and tries her hardest to breathe normally.

 _"Dang it… I'm not gonna last much longer if I keep running around like this."_

So, while things seem somewhat safe, she takes a moment to rest by a popcorn wagon, and begins to think about Maggie again.

 _"What if I'm too late? What if Alessa has already gotten what she needed from Maggie and- No… No, she has to be alive. She's tough. And, maybe she'll figure out she has powers too. Maybe she'll get out of here and be okay… Still… Am I so selfish to say that I want to see her again? Even if it's here? Even if it means not seeing my family again? I don't know… I just don't know… But, I have to try. I have to make sure she's okay."_

She feels somewhat better, but it's only a matter of time before she'll need more than a quick rest.

She picks herself up, and makes her way through a nearby gate.

She enters what seems to be a courtyard, and follows a walkway to a strange, intentionally creepy looking building.

A sign at a kiosk out front reads: **Borely Haunted Mansion.**

"No way," Luan blurts out. She looks around, and checks to see if there's any other way around.

And, there is.

"Oh thank god," she says. _"I can't do a haunted mansion today. Not happening. Especially not BORING Haunted Mansion. Yeah- I BORELY think I'd enjoy that."_

She actually makes herself smile a little with her mental jokes, but gets back to business as she heads over to the next gate.

But something else catches her eye.

Sitting just beneath a bench is a full bottle of the crappy plum colored stuff she drank back at the pharmacy.

 _"Must be a local drink."_

She picks it up, and it's fairly cold, and actually unopened.

 _"Okay… this is too convenient. No way I drink this and don't immediately fall over dead,"_ she thinks.

On the other hand, Bady did say there was still some good left in Silent Hill, and she _is_ pretty thirsty.

"Eh, what the heck?" she remarks, and she twists the cap off and takes a big swig.

And it actually makes her feel better. Not just more hydrated, but- better.

"Oh man… I PLUM forgot how terrible this is… But anything to help me find my loyal sidekick."

She finishes her beverage, and tosses it in the nearest recycling bin.

 _"Does the environment still matter in Otherworld? I'd like to think so."_

And just as she finishes this thought, she can hear "psst."

And another.

"Bady? Is that you?" Luan quietly asks, readying her hand in case it's an enemy.

She goes in the direction of the "pssting," but doesn't see anyone. Just some shrubbery and a tall oak tree.

Oddly enough, there's an abnormality in the bark of the tree that looks sort of like a…

"Pssst!"

…mouth.

Luan does a double take. _"Did that tree just say something?"_

She stares at it for a little longer, but it doesn't do anything.

Finally, she tries addressing it.

"Uhm… Mr. Tree- did you just say something?"

No response.

After a little while longer, she decides to be on her way.

"That's what I thought. Well, I guess I'll LEAF you alone then," and she turns away.

"Luan," a deep voice says.

She turns around.

 _"What the-"_

"You are needed on the stage," the tree firmly states.

And she has no idea how to respond, so she just gives the talking tree a dumbfounded look.

She starts to mumble some incoherent babble, hoping to voice some of her confused feelings, but the tree cuts her off.

"And one more thing…"

"The trees hate you."

Silence.

She finally snaps out of her stupor, and digests what this talking tree has just said to her.

 _"Uhm… Apparently I'm needed at the stage…"_ she thinks, and she slowly walks away.

* * *

As soon as she passes through the gate, she hears the honking of another bicycle horn, and quickly takes cover behind a cotton candy wagon.

She just barely raises her head above the wagon, and sees that there is actually a Puppet riding on a bicycle.

Of course, with the giant fleshy abomination protruding from its back, it can't maintain its balance, and it crashes into some nearby clutter.

After it does, several more clown Puppets come over and start growling at the bicycler, then they all disperse.

Luan takes a good look around, and she's just outside of what appears to be Lakeside's newest attraction: **The Robbie Rabbit Funtime Theater.**

 _"Okay, something's waiting for me in there, but it could lead me closer to Maggie… So let's get this over with…"_ Luan thinks, embracing her serious side.

She decides its best not take on all the creatures at once, so she needs to sneak her way through.

Unfortunately, this proves to be more difficult than she'd hoped.

As she quietly maneuvers around the front lot of the theater, she catches a whiff of some very inconvenient pollen.

 _"Dang it- I- I-"_

"ACHOOO!"

She quickly takes cover behind a trashcan, but the monsters heard it.

They start heading over to her location, and the big pink bunny from before- Robbie apparently, arrives.

And he has a _very_ big mallet.

 _"Well… I guess it's HAMMER time…"_ Luan sardonically tells herself, and she prepares to conjure up a burst of energy.

"Yoo-hoo!" a voice suddenly calls out.

Luan halts herself, and so do the clowns.

"Over here boys!" the voice hollers again.

Bady reveals herself from the far east of the lot, flamboyantly waving her hands around.

And the monsters make their way over to her.

"God dang it, Bady," Luan curses, and she jets from her hiding spot towards the gaggle of killer clowns.

She gets in her fighting stance, and readies for a blast.

She fires a wide shot at three of the big guy's minions, choosing to finish him off last.

He gestures his two remaining cronies to go after Bady, and he begins trudging towards Luan.

"Bady, run!" Luan shouts, and the other girl quickly complies.

Luan fires a short burst at Rabbit's eyes, stunning him.

He shields them, and begins flailing his mallet around recklessly.

Luan rolls as far as she can out of the way, and hurriedly scuttles back as he prepares for an overhead attack.

She just barely evades the impact.

She stands herself back up, and the killer rabbit takes a stance.

It holds up the mallet, and tosses it in her direction.

She desperately and swiftly fires away with all of her strength.

She opens her eyes, and evidently vaporized the projectile.

However, Robbie Rabbit is still in one piece.

"You've gotta be-" Luan begins.

"Luan!" the same voice from before calls out.

She turns to see Bady in the same spot she was before the calamity.

She waves her hand, gesturing her to come her way.

Without a word or second thought, Luan hurries over to her.

"I'm glad your okay!" Bady tells her as she catches up.

"We won't be for long if we don't shake this guy!" she retorts.

And it's no lie. The deranged creature is quickly honing in.

"I have an idea!" Bady says, and she begins running. "Come on!"

Luan follows her, and they end up at the bumper cars.

"For God's sake Bady! This is serious!"

"This isn't a pun Luan. Trust me!" Bady replies, and she gestures her to go into the rink.

Luan reluctantly does.

Bady rushes over to the command kiosk, and flips on the power.

The lights all turn on, and it would appear the cars are now functional.

She rushes back inside, and Rabbit has almost reached them.

"Get in a car!" Bady orders.

Luan doesn't say anything, she just sort of nods her head and does as she's told.

She picks out a purple car, and Bady squeezes herself in too.

"Hey-"

"Scoot over!"

"…I thought you meant get my _own_ car?!" Luan protests.

But it doesn't matter now, because their foe has entered the rink.

"FLOOR IT!" Bady shouts.

And Luan smashes her foot to the pedal, charging right for Rabbit.

And he jumps out of the way.

They crash into the wall, unharmed, but jolted.

And the monster actually laughs a deep, evil laugh.

"Ugh… You alright?" Luan asks Bady.

"Did I pass Mrs. Puff?" she deliriously responds.

She comes back to, and they both look back at the creature. He rips the cable off one of the cars, and picks it up.

He then starts trudging towards the girls with malicious intent.

"Luan, do something!" Bady cries.

And she fires a blast at him.

Again, he doesn't seem hurt, but it stuns him, and he drops the car.

"Hang on," Luan tells Bady, and she swerves the car around and drives to the other side of the rink.

She turns back around, and takes a deep breath.

"Luan?!" Bady calls out, but she doesn't respond.

She just bides her time until she's ready.

Then, the monster rises back up, and turns towards the girls.

He lets out a roar.

Luan closes her eyes, and takes another deep breath.

Then, she fires another blast at the monster, nearly taking everything out of her.

Again, he falls to his knees.

"Luan!"

She musters the strength to smash the pedal once more, and charges straight at the villain.

And with perfect timing, she drifts the car, smashing into him with the side of it, and careening him into the wall.

For a moment, the girls are nebulous.

But they come back to, and see that the monster is lifeless.

"Oh my gosh, Luan," Bady comments.

She says nothing, just focusing on keeping her strength up.

Bady steps out first, then helps out Luan.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'll be fine… Let's- just get to that theater," Luan tells her.

And they make their way out of the rink, and resume their mission.

* * *

Luan and Bady come to the ticket booth of the theater, which has been tagged with what looks like the Halo of the Sun turned into a smiley face.

They make their way into the auditorium. The stage is set up to depict Luna and Luan's room, complete with her jester's throne.

In the front row of seats, there is a white piece of paper folded upright on one of the chairs. " **VIP: Luan Loud** " is written in cursive writing.

On the seat beside it is another paper, in which " **and BADY** " is crudely written.

She happily takes a seat, and of course, there's a concealed whoopee cushion.

Bady giggles. "Excuse me!"

Normally, Luan would find this humorous, but the adrenaline is pumping, and there's only room in her heart for contempt.

"Alright, Alessa! I'm here! Show yourself!" she calls out.

Some devices on the stage begin emitting fog, and a spotlight shines down on the throne.

Then, there's a loud bang, and a cloud of smoke.

When it has all cleared, Luan's evil doppelganger is standing before the throne.

She arrogantly poses as if there's a large crowd, then raises a single finger and smiles.

She puts her other hand behind her back, mockingly showing exasperation on her face, and pulls out Mr. Coconuts.

"Tada!"

Bady actually claps. "Yay!"

Luan shoots her a serious glare, and she remorsefully straightens up.

Then she turns her attention to the incarnation.

"Where's Maggie?!"

The evil Luan ignores her, maintaining her smile, and takes a seat with the dummy in her lap.

"Hey Less, did you hear the one about the girl who stuck her hand in a toilet?" she has the dummy say.

"Well no, Mr. Coconuts. What about her?"

"They say she was down in the DUMPS!"

She lets out a hardy laugh, much to Luan's chagrin.

"Oh Mr. Coconuts… What was wrong with her?"

She finally acknowledges the real Luan, shooting her an evil glare.

"Hmm… I guess it had something to do with her only friend being gone…" she has him say, having him shoot her the same evil glare.

Luan superciliously smirks.

"So this is Alessa? A cheap knock off with lame act? You must be joking…"

Alessa sneers back.

"Oh contraire, Luan. And I think I like 'Less' better. Four letters, starts with an L-"

"Like I said: Cheap- Knock off."

"Hmm… Something about 'imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?" Less snidely claims.

Luan gets to down to brass tacks.

"Tell me where Maggie is," she sternly demands.

"Oh, but don't you want to hear my take on dramaturgy first?" Less rhetorically asks, tossing the dummy to the side.

And she knows it's not the real Mr. Coconuts, but it really gets to Luan.

"See, you think your life is a comedy. There's a hero who _thinks_ she's a victim, and she comes and saves the day from this big, bad villain! Gets the girl in the end, all that junk... But that's not the case. No- this is a tragedy… You don't get to save anybody. In fact, you don't even get to save yourself!"

She rises from the throne.

"See I tried to put you back where you came from, but you just wouldn't let her go! And now… now you have to pay for being so _rude_ to all of my friends."

"So what's stopping you, huh? I'm standing right here!" Luan defiantly proclaims.

Less scoffs. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, you're not worth wasting anymore energy on. I need it for when me and Maggie play our next game," she answers with a sinister smile.

And Luan has had enough. She fires a quick blast directly at her.

And she vanishes.

Luan looks around for her, and hears slow clapping.

She turns to face it, and Alessa is now at the apron stage.

"Oh bravo. And I'm the _one_ with a lame act," she mocks.

Luan just snarls.

"Really, Loud. You'll have to do better than that… If only you had Aglaophotis!" she snarkily tells her.

"What?" Luan confusingly responds.

Bady gulps.

Luan looks over to her.

"The red stuff," she timidly says, revealing a plastic bottle full of strange red liquid.

And while Luan sees this, she still isn't sure how it changes anything.

Especially since Less couldn't seem any less threatened.

"Well, I can't have you carrying that around. It's not good to BOTTLE things up you know! Hahaha!"

"Ugh, lame," Luan remarks.

And Less takes exception.

"See, this is why nobody likes you Luan! You're so pretentious! I can see why you'd have that hotline number memorized now…"

"…You- stinkin' bitch!" Luan curses.

And Less just laughs. "Oh my! I can see why Maggie likes you! You've got… oh… how should I put it?"

She turns her attention to Bady.

"Ah… I've got it!" she proclaims, and she raises her finger.

"…You've got a BACKBONE!"

She fires a bolt of energy from the tip of her finger at Bady, and she falls to the floor, dropping the bottle.

"Bady!" Luan shouts, rushing over to her.

She's unresponsive.

Less waves her hand, telekinetically grabs the bottle, and lets it fall into her hand.

"Just wait. You'll get it…" Less snidely tells her, and she makes her way for the backstage area, menacingly laughing.

Bady starts convulsing.

"Well, it was nice to finally meet you Luan, but I've gotta run. My new best friend _Maggie's_ waiting for me…"

And she disappears through the curtain with the bottle of Aglaophotis.

Luan turns her attention back to Bady, who violently jolts up.

She hunches over, her face and hands cringing, letting out pained groans.

She opens her eyes, and they're now sickly and bloodshot.

Then, she lets out a terrible scream as a large, fleshy mound spouts from her back.

She has become one of the monsters.

"No… Bady…" Luan devastatingly cries.

Bady begins trudging towards Luan, letting out horrible, grotesque moans.

"Bady, stop! I don't want to hurt you!" Luan tells her, preparing her hands for an attack.

But her old friend doesn't hear the words. Whatever it was that was so good about her is gone, replaced by the hideousness of the evil Otherworld.

"Please, I don't want to have to do this!" Luan begs, gradually backing away.

And she has the perfect opportunity to blast her and end this. End this and go save her best friend.

But she can't do it. Even if this isn't the Bady she knows, it's still Bady, and she can't bring herself to hurt her.

And the monster that was Bady senses that.

She pounces, mounting Luan and striking her in the face, drawing blood.

"Bady- Stop!" she cries, struggling to defend herself from any further attacks.

And a strange glass pendant comes out of Bady's shirt.

During their scuffle, Luan accidently smashes the pendant against Bady's chest, shattering it and cutting her hand open.

And Bady hurriedly dismounts her, then begins quivering again.

Luan looks at her injury, and there's a lot of red. At first, she thinks it may be her own blood, but it's not.

She looks over to Bady, who agonizingly presses her hands to her skull, shrieking and swaying all over the place.

She looks up to the sky, straightening her back, and let's out a deafening yell.

Then, the fleshy mound on her back condenses.

And she falls to the ground.

Luan takes a moment to catch her breath, then makes her way over to her.

"Bady?..."

She's unresponsive.

Luan cautiously kneels down beside her, and flips her on her back.

Her sweater is stained with red, and her chest slowly rises.

She weakly opens her eyes.

"Lu- Luan?..."

They're the same pale green eyes as before, innocent and human.

"Bady!" Luan blurts out with a grin.

She helps the girl sit up, and removes her vest since the back of it has been tattered.

"Luan… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're okay," she tells her.

And she notices that her hand is dripping blood.

"Oh no!" Bady bemoans.

"I'll be fine," Luan feigns, pressing on the wound.

"Here, let me help you," Bady weakly tells her, ripping off part of her sleeve and wrapping it around her hand.

"Don't go shooting stuff or it'll fall off," she says.

"No promises," Luan somberly quips.

And for a moment, they just collect their thoughts.

Then, Luan has a terrible thought.

"I could've killed you. Those monsters… I- They weren't really monsters…"

Bady can see the devastation on her face.

"…Luan, listen to me. There's nothing we could've done to save them. They're not real…" she says, and her demeanor changes.

"I'm not real… We're just- lost souls… Swimming around with no real reason…"

Luan looks to her. "You're real to me, Bady."

And they share a soft smile.

"Thanks, and thanks for saving me," Bady tells her.

"Well, I'm just returning the favor," Luan says, standing up. "Now come on, we've gotta stop Alessa," she declares, extending her good hand.

"I'm right behind you," Bady confidently states, taking Luan's hand, and she pulls her up.

And with that, they pick up Alessa's trail.

* * *

"So, what is that, 'Aglaophotis' stuff anyway?" Luan asks Bady as they leave the theater and reenter the fairgrounds.

"Well… It's like medicine- for monsters," Bady answers.

"Okay… Two things. One: how will it help us with Alessa? And two: why'd you have some around your neck?"

"I had a feeling she'd know I have it, so I wanted a back-up. And, it will stop her from using her powers for a little while, so we can- you know…" Bady responds.

Luan is taken back. "Wait… Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Bady seems confused. "What do you think I'm saying?"

"Uhm… Are you saying I need to kill her? I don't know- monsters are one thing- but a person?"

Bady isn't sure how to respond. "Well, I don't know what to say. She's not really alive- she's not really dead either. But we _do_ have to stop her. If her powers get strong enough, she could make the whole world just like Otherworld!" she explains.

Although conflicted, Luan settles for this.

Bady seems even less enthusiastic.

"It doesn't matter now, because she has the Apo- Aglopho- the red stuff, and I don't know if I can get anymore," she tells Luan.

"Then we'll find another way," Luan asserts. "And I don't regret using it to save you, just so you know."

Bady softly smiles. "Thanks."

They continue along, and apparently Alessa's forces are holding off.

For now anyway.

They arrive at a carousel.

"These things always creeped me out," Luan confesses.

"There's something about this one. Like, a bad energy," Bady adds.

And shortly after, the lights for the ride kick on, revealing some bare mannequins propped on the horses of the ride.

Bady gasps.

"I don't like this," Luan utters.

The PA system buzzes.

*Alright you two, enough HORSING around! Hahaha, get it?!* Less jokes.

The ride starts up.

*But seriously. If you'd just hold your HORSES, you'll see why Lakeside Amusement Park is fun for the _whole_ family!*

 _"What does she mean?"_ Luan asks herself.

The lights shift into an ominous, orange hue. Creepy music begins to play.

For a moment, the mannequins and the horses become mere silhouettes.

But when they become visible again, the girls can see that the mannequins have changed.

Each one of them are dressed to represent the members of the Loud family. Lynn Sr. Rita, Lori, Leni, Luna, Lynn, Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola, and Lisa all.

Stranger yet, they appear to be alive.

They individually take turns dismounting their horses, and line up along the edge of the carousel.

And as the ride stops, they see that there is one final horse, and one final mannequin.

"Maggie…" Luan shutters, as the final mannequin- dressed as such, takes its place in line.

Then, they all begin making their way towards the girls.

"Luan, what do we do?" Bady worries.

She grabs Bady by the wrist, and rushes back towards the gate.

And there are now several trees blocking it.

"What the-"

And the Loud mannequins continue drawing nearer.

"Bady, you don't think-" Luan begins to ask, looking into the girls periled eyes.

But she doesn't finish asking, _"You don't think they're really my family, do you?"_ because she really doesn't want an answer.

Instead, she decides to believe that what she is about to do won't hurt any of them- that they're all safe back home at Royal Woods.

At least, she really hopes so.

Finally, she maneuvers Bady behind her, and fires her first blast at the mannequin emulating her father.

"Sorry, dad," she says, and then she shoots her "mother."

And one by one, she fires away at them, until only Luna and Maggie are remaining.

And it has really taken a toll on her.

She nearly falls over, but Bady catches her.

"Luan!" she cries, seeing that her bandage has fallen off, and the gash on her hand has been agitated.

The two mannequins are a mere few feet away, and Bady decides to take action.

She gently lets Luan take to the ground, and she takes a stance.

Before Luan can muster the strength to whimper her name, Bady charges right into the Maggie mannequin, tackling it to the ground.

But the Luna mannequin is still standing, and she creeps her way over to the girl.

She scurries back, and "Maggie" grabs her ankle.

"Ugh! Let go! These are my best boots!" Bady cries.

And "Luna" could care less.

"She" gets to the girl, and grabs her by the throat.

And she's able to raise her up with just one hand.

Luan finds the strength to raise her head up, and sees that her friend is in danger.

And despite the pain, she forces herself to conjure the energy for another blast.

She hits the mannequin directly in the head, knocking it straight off, and it drops Bady.

Luan is able to get to her feet, and limps over to the damsel.

She's holding her throat, coughing and gasping for air.

Luan wants to ask her if she's okay, but it's taken everything just to barely walk over.

Bady quickly stands up, and looks to the remaining mannequin, which slipped Luan's mind.

"Maggie" is slowly crawling over.

The girls go over to the pitiful thing.

And in a fit of rage, Bady starts kicking it over and over again- in the face, in the sternum, anywhere she can connect.

But Luan sees the black hair, the bangs, the crudely drawn freckles, the purple sweatshirt tied around the waist, and the dark purple boots- just like the ones from that day in the bathroom stall.

"Stop it!" she finally says, pulling Bady to the side.

She's breathing heavily, like maybe she got it all out. She places a hand on Luan's shoulder, as if to say, _"I'm okay."_

But she also sees that Luan is in pain. Not just from the sheer physicality of everything she's been through, but her eyes are full of defeat.

Bady doesn't take her hand off of her. "We'll find her Luan," she tells her.

And she doesn't say anything, she just sniffles, and gives a halfhearted nod, then walks away.

And Bady follows her.

* * *

After leaving the carousel and re-bandaging Luan's hand, the girls come to the entrance of the park's Funhouse.

"Yeah, this will go swimmingly," Luan dejectedly quips.

And Bady snickers.

Luan looks to her- tired, unsure.

"I get it! It's a pun!" Bady expresses.

And Luan doesn't have the heart to tell her she's wrong.

They make their way into the entrance tunnel of the Funhouse, where there is blue rave lighting, and- of course, more pictures of Robbie Rabbit and clowns.

 _"I hope I still love clowns after this… I hope I still love comedy after this…"_ Luan thinks.

They grab some glow sticks off the counter of the front desk, and tie them around one another's wrists.

Another friendly reminder that Maggie is the priority, and this perks Luan up a bit.

"Let's get going, stay close to me," Luan orders, and Bady just nods.

They go through a blue curtain, and discover the hall of mirrors on the other side.

There's mirrors that make them look tall and skinny, short and fat, distorted, blurry, beg headed- you name it.

And Bady can't help but laugh at them all.

And while Luan would love to get upset with her, she can't.

Maybe it's just her sense of humor, or Bady's laugh is contagious.

Or maybe it's that her inner theatre geek sees the parallels between now, and when she was the one laughing as Maggie brooded.

Whatever it is, she eventually joins in the laughter.

When she's got it out, and feels a little better, she notices they've reached the end of the hall.

"Haha- Alright, kiddo, let's get out of here," Luan says.

But Bady is gone.

"Bady?!" she calls out, and she returns to the way they came.

The blue lighting has disappeared, and there's now a dim, grey hue to the hall.

And her reflections don't seem so funny anymore.

Now they seem- angry. Like they might come out and hurt her.

As she quickly moves along, she notices that they stay still within their mirrors, watching her.

So she runs now.

Until she smacks face first into a wall.

She checks to make sure she didn't break her nose, or cut her lip with her braces, and she's fine.

What isn't fine is what she sees before her.

It is another mirror, and in it, she sees herself.

Only she's covered in blood and grime.

For a moment, she's paralyzed.

Then, the lights come back on, and they're now a familiar, ominous red hue.

She can hear what sounds like whispering and laughter in the distance, so she makes her back to the exit.

"Bady!" she screams.

But there's no answer, and she can hear the whispers and the laughter coming closer, and closer.

She seems to have made it to the exit.

And just then, the lights shut off.

Darkness.

They kick back on- a normal hue this time.

The mirrors are gone, and now it's just an empty, cold hallway.

But lying on the ground before her, is a motionless body curled up in a ball.

"Maggie?..." Luan shutters.

No response.

She runs over to the girl, and starts crying.

She falls to her knees.

"Maggie, speak to me!" she yells, and she cradles the girl in her arms, looking at her pale, lifeless face.

She's not breathing.

And she can't hold back anymore. The tears come down harder than ever before as she tightly squeezes her friend closer and tighter.

"I'm so sorry Maggie," she says through the tears. "Please… Please wake up… I need you…"

"Luan?"

She slowly raises her head.

Then she looks back, and sees Bady standing at the end of the hall.

She doesn't pay her any mind, she just turns her attention back to Maggie.

Bady rushes over, and almost puts a hand on her shoulder.

But she hesitates.

"Luan…" she says again.

Something isn't right.

Luan stops crying, and takes another look at the body in her arms.

Gone is the flesh and blood of her best friend.

In her place, an inanimate mannequin.

She jumps up, and angrily tosses it.

"I'm gonna wreck you, you bitch!" she shouts at the top of her lungs, hoping Alessa can hear her.

Bady gently places her hand on Luan's shoulder.

"Luan… Something's wrong, I can feel it," she tells her.

Then, the familiar ringing of sirens manifests in the distance.

Luan falls to her knees and covers her ears as she's done several times before, and Bady grabs a hold of her.

Everything gets dark, and the air becomes thick, but it eventually passes.

When it's stopped, the girls rise up.

Everything seems- normal. Or at least, like they've returned to the Fog World.

To Silent Hill.

* * *

Luan and Bady rush out of the exit of the Funhouse, and see the daylight.

It's raining.

"Come on," Bady instructs Luan, and she doesn't even ask where they're going, she just follows.

They leave the Amusement park via the nearest exit, coming to West Sanford Street.

The rain gradually becomes heavier.

"Wait," Luan finally tells Bady, panting.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, she begins.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"The hotel," Bady answers.

She looks to the east.

"We keep taking this road, that will take us there. That's where Alessa is. She's almost reached her full power!"

"And Maggie?..." Luan asks.

* * *

Maggie wakes up from a deep, dreamless sleep.

She can feel raindrops hitting her face, and she comes to realize that she is tied up to a post.

She struggles to break free, but it's no use.

She has to flip her hair back to get her bangs out of her face to get a good look around, but sees that she's on some sort of rooftop.

And just a few yards in front on her, she can see Luan.

Only, it's not Luan.

* * *

 **Agghh you guys... Much chapter so long... I did proofread, but if I missed any errors, please let me know.**

 **But, things are getting really juicy.**

 **Again, thank you guys so much for following me along this journey, and I hope I dish out the ending you all deserve.**

 **Until then, stay safe, and may the force be with you.**


	16. The Flood

**DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains highly sensitive content regarding suicidal themes. Please read with discretion.**

 **Also, there will be references that will spoil the "big reveal" in Silent Hill 2. So if you haven't played it and you want to or whatever, be warned.**

* * *

"I have the light!"

Alessa curses to herself as she frantically paces back and forth, the rain falling down harder and harder.

Or maybe someone else is listening- Maggie isn't sure.

She's fairly certain that Luan's doppelganger doesn't know she's awake though, and she intends to keep it that way.

"Do you hear me mother?! After everything you put me through- everything this _place_ has done to me, and all for your God! Well, where is she now, huh?! I'll tell you where-"

She steps on the very edge of the roof.

"She's right here!"

 _"This bitch has lost it,"_ Maggie thinks to herself.

Her hair's a mess, her make-up has smeared- it would be comical if this were just a normal girl.

But it's not a normal girl- it's Alessa, the mysterious stranger that has brought Maggie here for her maleficent purposes.

And there is nothing funny about any of this. Luan's gone, she's tied to a post with no memory of how she got here, and she doesn't even know that she's _actually_ comatose in a hospital bed, and that she's just been projected into another reality.

The reality that is Silent Hill.

Alessa begins snickering.

"See mother, I told you this day would come. I told everyone! Soon I will have the power of a god, and I'll make the whole world mine- and everyone and everything in it!"

She turns her attention to Maggie, who feigns being unconscious.

"And it's all because I have the light…"

She steps down from the ledge, and makes her way over to the captive girl.

"I have _you_ Maggie…" she says, caressing her face with the back of her hand.

She euphorically gasps.

"…And nothing will change that- not even your stupid friend!"

She grabs her face, and Maggie can't help but break.

She opens her eyes and snarls.

"Ahh- There you are!" she maniacally exclaims.

She chuckles, playfully pats her cheek, and turns away.

"Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to-"

"Shut up!" she angrily interrupts.

"Oh, what? I don't get to sing to you?" she mocks.

She tries jostling her way out of her ropes, but it's no use.

And Alessa just laughs.

"Ugh- What do you want from me?!" Maggie demands to know.

"Hahaha… Oh Maggie, you still haven't figured it out, have you?"

She just pants, waiting for her to elaborate.

"…All of this is because of you! My power, Luan's power- we couldn't have done it without you…"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" she barks.

Alessa methodically steps to her. "There's just- something about you, Mags. Something inside of you that brings out the best of something inside of me," she boasts.

Then she straightens up, and turns her back to the girl again.

Maggie tries breaking free some more, but it still makes no difference.

But then, she realizes something.

"Wait! You said she was alive!" Maggie exclaims.

Alessa scoffs. "I said no such thing."

"Yes you did! You said she couldn't stop you! She's alive, isn't she?!"

She groans. "It doesn't matter," she begins, turning back to her hostage. "She won't get here in time to save you. And if she does show up like the little _cockroach_ she is, she won't be any match for me."

"Oh, you are _so_ fucking dead!" Maggie retorts.

Alessa sneers. "You're in no position to threaten me. In fact, you never were. See, while I was being burnt and bandaged, beaten and broken- over and over and _over_ again, you were being a little _pussy_! 'Oh, my daddy touched me, I don't have any friends, no one understands me!' Boo hoo hoo!... While you were too chicken shit to even call a stupid suicide number, I was _constantly_ sticking my shoulder to the plow!

"And now look at you… You're helpless- _powerless_. And I'll have the power of a god… See… now _that's_ funny."

Her words cut deep. Maggie does her best to fight the tears, but they come anyway.

"You're a monster…"

Alessa gravely looks into her eyes.

"I've seen monsters Maggie. _Real_ monsters."

She turns away again.

"Maybe one day you can understand, but I have other things to attend to… Please, be silent. You can do that, can't you?"

And she does.

She decides that, it's no use sparring with her any longer.

Her best chance of making it out of this is to stay calm, and wait for an opportunity.

But deep down, she's hoping for something more.

 _"Come on, Luan… I need you…"_

* * *

Luan and Bady continue their way down Sandford Street, through the downpour.

"It's not much further now!" Bady says.

And she's not lying.

Up ahead in the distance, they see a beacon of light through the fog.

"That's it! That's the light for the dock! Come on!" Bady exclaims.

Luan halts, and nervously rubs her arm.

"Bady, wait."

And she does.

"So, you like, know everything about this place, right?"

Bady winces. "I mean, I know a lot."

Luan sighs.

"What's the matter?" Bady asks.

"I know it sounds stupid, and we're so close, but… I know I'm actually back at Royal Woods. Like, this is- what it is- but it's not where I _really_ am…"

Bady looks down, then back up to her. "I know what you mean."

Then Luan looks down.

"But Maggie doesn't know that… And… I'm worried…"

"…Worried?"

"Yeah. I'm worried that- if we save her, and we go back home- I'm worried she won't remember me… Or maybe- I won't remember her…"

"That's not stupid," Bady somberly tells her.

"Ugh… Bady, that can't happen, it just can't. I… I…"

She chokes up.

And for a moment, they just look up to the sky, letting the rain fall on their faces.

It's Bady who looks to Luan first, and then she meets her eyes.

"That's not going to happen," she confidently states.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I see some real good coming out of this. Not just for me, not just for Silent Hill, but for you- and Maggie… I don't know that things can ever go back to the way they were before all of this, but, I think they can be better."

Luan's eyes become wide and watery.

"I hope so," she says, forcing a soft smile.

Bady just reciprocates it, and gestures her to move along.

"You know, you're pretty smart," Luan tells her with a mellow tone.

Bady halts. "Is that a joke?"

Luan smiles. "Not at all."

* * *

Finally, they can see the Lakeview Hotel through the fog and rain.

They rush to the entrance, being mindful of any obscenities, but things seem safe for the moment.

And, despite everything going on, Luan can't help but feel a sense of serenity.

It may be the absolute most awful place on planet earth, but Silent Hill is strangely beautiful.

The Lakeview is no exception.

And that's just the outside.

They open the entrance doors, revealing a neoclassical, mansion-esque foyer that's equally soothing and charming. Even if it is a little dim.

"Must've forgot to pay the electric bill," Luan quips, using her trusty powers to create a light.

 _"Man, it's unfair I get these powers here and not back in the real world… Everyone would really LIGHT up if they saw this… Haha…"_ She thinks with a drab conscience.

"So, where to?" Luan asks Bady.

She scans the place, trying to sense Alessa's energy.

She grows frustrated. "I don't know. It's like, she's _everywhere_ …"

"What?" Luan dubiously blurts out.

Bady grimaces. "Ugh… I- I feel like…"

"Talk to me, B."

"…Let's- try upstairs. I think I feel something," Bady states, and they make their way up the large flight of stairs before them.

From there they go west to another set of stairs, ascending them until they've reached the top floor.

They come to room 312, and Bady becomes faint.

"Bady?" Luan concernedly says.

"I'm fine," she says, holding herself against the wall. "I think there's something in here," she says.

"I don't like this. It's too quiet," Luan states.

And with that, she takes a defensive position in front of the door, and nods at Bady to open the door.

She does.

Inside, it's just an ordinary hotel room.

No Maggie, no Alessa.

"Bady?"

Visibly frustrated, she holds her hand to her head, then props herself on the bed.

There is a videotape.

And looking at it makes Bady's brain feel cloudy.

"Ugh…" she moans, nearly falling over.

"Bady!" Luan cries, rushing over to her side.

"The tape… there's something about it…"

Luan raises her brow, but there's evidently something important about this video tape.

She goes to the bed and picks it up.

 **LISA** is crudely written on the label.

She looks over to the bedroom TV, and there's actually a VCR hooked up to it.

So, Luan goes over to it, and puts the tape in.

Once the static disappears, a woman- a nurse apparently, is seen sitting at a table with her face in her hands.

"What is it? Still has an unusually high fever- eyes don't open- getting a pulse but just barely breathing… Her skin is all charred! Even when I change the bandages, the blood and pus just start oozing through?!... Why?! What is keeping that child alive?!"

Static begins emitting.

Images of the same woman with blood pouring down her face cut through the feed, until the tape seems to short all together.

"I don't understand…" Luan says.

She looks to Bady, who is still trying to regain her footing.

"Everything feels- heavy," she tells Luan as she gets to her feet.

"Yeah… It does…" Luan agrees- because there _is_ something in the air, thick and heavy, like a haze.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asks Bady.

"Yeah, I think so," she answers.

"Don't push yourself…"

And even though she means well, Luan still wants to find answers.

"What was that?" she asks, referring to the tape.

"I'm not sure… Maybe that lady was talking about Alessa… She was in pretty bad shape for a while…"

Luan decides that sufficiently answers her question for now, but there's still the matter of finding and saving Maggie.

"Bady," Luan utters, but the brunette cuts her off.

"Urgh! I wish that dog was here… He'd know what to do…"

"Bady- We're running out of time."

"I know," she responds, taking a seat along the wall.

And for a moment, they just look at one another.

"She's blocking me out… I just… I can't," Bady whimpers.

Luan takes a knee, and rests her hand on her shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asks.

"Just leave me. You have to find her, I'll just slow you down."

"No way, kiddo," Luan says with a soft smile. "We're in this together."

Bady softly smiles back, and Luan helps her to her feet again.

"Alright, come on," she says, having the taller girl lean on her.

They make their way back out into the hall

Suddenly, they hear what sounds like someone running.

"Maggie?!" Luan blurts out.

The noise seems to have come from downstairs.

"Alright Bady, here we go," she says, and they follow it.

They arrive on the second floor, and catch eye of a small, dark haired girl running around a bend.

"What the-?"

"Follow her," Bady whimpers.

Luan complies, pulling her and Bady over and around the same bend.

"Through there," Bady says, pointing out a door to a staff room.

They make their way inside, and just barely catch a glimpse of the elevator inside shutting.

"That's her-" Bady weakly utters.

"Who?"

"Alessa. That's her," Bady reiterates.

Luan doesn't know how to respond.

"She's- too strong…"

"Hey, relax," Luan soothingly tells her, helping her take a seat. "We'll catch her."

She goes over to the elevator, and presses the call button.

 _"I'm kind of DOWN on elevators today,"_ she sullenly jokes to herself.

The elevator finally arrives.

"Alright, come on you," Luan says to Bady, helping her up again.

"You know- You should consider walking around in those fancy shoes some more," she quips regarding her weight.

"I don't get it?" Bady responds.

 _"Of course not…"_

Luan hauls her over and inside, and presses the down button.

An incredibly annoying alarm buzzes, then goes off.

"What the heck?!" Luan curses, pressing the button again.

And again the annoying alarm buzzes.

"Please don't do that again," Bady assertively pleas.

Luan checks it out, and there's something inscribed above the buttons.

 **Weight Allowance: One Person.**

 _"Bullshit."_

Luan looks to her weak friend.

"Bady… There's too much weight on the elevator…"

She scowls. "Oh, now I get it! You're saying I'm fat?!"

"No- No Bady… But we can't both go down," she elaborates.

"Oh…" she dejectedly bemoans.

"We'll find another way," Luan says, preparing to heave Bady again.

But she stops her.

"No Luan, you go on ahead."

"I'm not just gonna leave you again," Luan asserts.

"No- You are," Bady firmly retorts.

She picks herself up and gets out of the elevator.

"We don't have time to argue. I'll come down behind you. I'll catch up," she insists.

But Luan can't help but be pessimistic about those odds.

"You know she's watching. It won't be that easy," she disputes.

"I know… But you can do this Luan. I believe in you."

Luan softly smiles.

"Okay, seriously. You should probably go," Bady adds.

"Oh, right," Luan says, and she presses the button again.

This time, the doors begin to close, and she watches as her friend's face is obscured as the doors meet.

And in the time she has to wait, she thinks back to that day at school, the day she sat quietly in the bathroom, and how she never could've guessed any of this would happen.

Not just Robbie Rabbit, or Pyramid Head, or getting super powers.

But also that she'd make friends with the girl that seemed lightyears away, even when she was only two stalls down, sitting quietly just like her.

The elevator doors open.

It's dark, but there are no signs of immediate danger.

So, she takes a deep breath, flickers her self-made light on, and steps out.

The little girl, the one Bady _says_ is Alessa- whatever that means, is nowhere in sight.

However, she turns around a bend, and there is a dull light shining out of a doorway to the left-hand side.

She makes her way to it, and it's just an ordinary staff room.

She almost turns to leave, but then a phone begins to ring.

It's coming from a black cord-phone sitting on top of an end table in the furthest corner of the room.

She goes over to it.

And she just watches it for a moment, asking herself, _"What's gonna go wrong now?"_

But she picks it up anyway.

And of course, whoever's at the other end says nothing.

"Hello?" Luan utters.

Still, nothing.

She hangs up. _"I'm getting so tired of this crap. Just once I'd like for something to-"_

Before she can even finish her thought, she's face to face with Alessa.

Only, she's back to her original, terrifying, ghostly form.

She grabs Luan by the arms, and smiles a hideous smile.

Between the sheer terror that surges through her, and the thick haze in the air, it's too much for her.

And she collapses, her world fading to black once more.

* * *

There's a bright light.

Everything slowly comes into focus: green painted walls, the smell of freshly waxed linoleum, several people sitting in a circle- and while their lips move, she can't hear what they're saying.

The first thing she makes out is someone saying her name.

"Luan, Luan?" they repeat.

She shakes her head, and things finally seem somewhat clear.

She looks around to see faces, some familiar, some not, all sitting in this comfortable, yet somehow claustrophobic room.

The most significant: Maggie.

"Luan? Do you have anything to say?" she asks, a clipboard on her lap, a pen in her right hand.

And she _desperately_ tries to ask where she is, how she got here, and what Maggie is doing with all of these people.

But she can't say anything. She is _literally_ mute.

She frantically looks around, and something catches her eye.

It scares her at first, but then, she realizes- it's her.

In the glass behind Maggie, she can see herself, fully dressed in her mime outfit.

 _"What the heck is happening?"_ she thinks.

And she just sits there, completely, wholeheartedly dumbstruck.

But Maggie doesn't seem at all concerned.

She slightly nods. "Nothing? I'm surprised. Normally we can't get you to shut up… Oh well…" she casually says with a shrug.

"Well. Let's move on," she continues, jotting something down in her notes.

"Clyde," she says, singling out none other than Clyde McBride, who sits just to the left of Luan.

"How is everything going with you?" Maggie asks.

Clyde smiles. "Thanks for asking doc. I'm doing really well! I've been working on being more assertive like we talked about, and expressing my feelings in more constructive ways. Also, I was at Lincoln's house the other day, and I managed to go without having a meltdown when I saw 'you-know-who," he proudly shares.

Maggie stops writing to face him. "Clyde, we've talked about this. I don't think avoiding things displays progress."

He shutters. "Uhm… Okay… I- I uh… I saw… I uhm- I talked to- I saw…"

Maggie's expression doesn't change.

"L- L- Lori…" Clyde finally gets out, and his nose instantly starts pouring blood, then he faints before sliding down his chair.

Maggie just nods, and makes a note. "Hmm... I think we'll look into upping your dosage…" she thinks aloud.

She looks back up to the others.

"Okay… James?" she says, referring to a slouching blonde haired man in a green insert-coin jacket, who seems sad, tired, and maybe a little winded.

"Tell us about your wife."

He lets out a heavy sigh. "Mary…"

 _"What the fuck is happening?!"_

The man sits up. "I got a letter. It said it was from- Mary… I couldn't believe it… It isn't possible… She died of that damn disease three years ago…"

"But she didn't die- at least, not until I smothered her with a pillow… I couldn't believe it. How is that even possible? It's ridiculous…" the man continues.

"There was this other woman that looked just like her- a stripper… And this guy who kept eating pizza, and another guy with a big red thing on his head… Two of them! And- and…"

"I had to stick my hand down a toilet…"

Maggie just nods again, "Thank you James," she says, and he sullenly slumps back down in his chair.

"Mary…"

"Let's see, Mr. Grouse?" she calls next.

And lo and behold, the Louds' stereotypically grumpy old neighbor sits with his arms crossed just beside her.

"Yeah, what?" he grumpily answers.

"Do you have anything to share with us today?" Maggie politely asks.

He huffs, and begins. "Ehh… These stinkin' kids. Everyday it's something new. The fidget spinners, and the twerking, and the 'Tweeter.' And our president sits on his fanny all day 'twitting' instead of doing anything about all these hoity-toity rabble rousers!"

"Mr. Grouse, I thought we agreed to leave politics out of our time together?"

"Oh, phewy!" He grunts.

"Try reciting the fifty states like your neighbor suggested, and we'll continue this next week," Maggie tells him.

He groans, then begins quietly listing them off to himself.

"Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas…"

Next, she addresses the elephant in the room.

Or, Tree.

"Mr. Tree, would like to say anything?"

And the talking tree from the amusement park bides its time, until finally, he speaks in a deep, firm tone.

…

"Fuck Konami."

Maggie actually expresses some discontent with her brow, then reverts back to her blank expression.

"Please, let's not curse."

She sits the notepad back down in her lap, and even the pen.

And she turns to the strange, gruff looking man between Clyde and James.

"Dad, do you have anything to say?"

He huffs, and uncrosses his arms.

"Alright… I get it. I'm the bad guy. I was shitty to your mom, shitty to you, and a shitty guy all around. And yeah, I drink too much. Big deal?! It's not like I'm hurting anybody."

Maggie scowls at his last claim, and he realizes his error.

"Oh- sorry," he simply says, and he clams up as Maggie goes back to writing in her notes.

She looks around the room, as if to make sure she hasn't left anyone out.

And she stops to address the person sitting just to her left.

"Cheryl, I hear you're doing better?" she says to a little girl with short black hair.

And the girl giggles.

"Yes. I made a new friend!" she proclaims.

Maggie actually smiles. "A new friend? That's great news! Who is it?"

The girl raises a single finger, and places her other hand behind her back.

And she pulls out Mr. Coconuts.

"Tada!" she says, and then laughs.

And somehow, everybody else in the room, including Maggie, seems to have just up and gone, leaving Luan alone to face this strange little girl.

She laughs again, then gets out of her chair and giddily runs out of the room.

Luan wants to shout _"Wait!"_ But she is still unable to speak.

So, with a pout, she gets up from the chair, and follows the girl out of the room.

* * *

Luan goes out into the hallway of this strange place, which she soon recognizes to be the same recreational room from the prison.

 _"This place is insane…"_ she thinks to herself, tracing the steps of the little girl named Cheryl, or Alessa, or whatever it is and it really doesn't matter- the girl responsible for all of this.

She comes to a door tagged with a black Halo of the Sun, and makes her way through it to discover a long narrow hallway.

However, the hall seems to get taller and wider the further down it goes, and leads to an enormous door also tagged with a black Halo of the Sun.

And she can't help but find it intimidating.

So, she decides to active her mighty Fingerbang powers, just in case.

Only, they won't work.

 _"What the-?! Not now!"_ she thinks, making all sorts of hand gestures and other weird movements- complete with arbitrary clenching, in an attempt to make the damn thing work.

No dice.

But there's no where else to go, and this is all for Maggie.

The real Maggie, not some mannequin or mental projection of a fake therapist.

And she's worth all of it.

So, she makes her way down the crazy hall and to the enormous door.

And although she's persevered to make it here, there's a slight problem.

 _"How the heck do I open this thing?"_ she thinks.

But then, it opens, and a blinding light bursts out from the other side.

She really is blinded for a moment, but she adjusts.

And when she does, she sees a huge hand reaching for her.

She opens her mouth to shriek, but again, the point is moot.

Before she even has a chance to evade it, the large hand grabs her by the back of her shirt, and lifts her up, pulling her into the light.

Everything moves so fast, she's nebulous for most of it.

Until she knows that she's sitting still, waiting once more for everything to come into focus.

And when it does, she sees the faces of many loud, obnoxious, _gigantic_ children, all smiling like this is the Black Hole Sun music video.

Of course, it's a birthday party.

She can see that she's back in her usual outfit, and not dressed like a mime anymore.

However, there's a significant trade off in that, not only can she not speak, but she also can't move now.

 _"This is ridiculous…"_ she dejectedly thinks to herself.

Finally, amongst the incoherent psychobabble of these giant, repulsive children, she hears a familiar voice.

"Alright kids, are you ready to have some FUN?!" the voice calls out, and they all scream their heads off.

"Alrighty then!" they add, and Luan can feel the giant hand pick her up again.

It sits her down in the lap of its owner, whom turns her towards the crowd.

"Howdy Luan! What's the word on the street, toots?" they say, and it's in this moment that Luan sees the irony of the situation.

It's freakin' Mr. Coconuts.

As he speaks, he taps on her back, and her lips move accordingly.

"Well Mr. Coconuts, I'd tell you I know what's up, but I ain't got no friends, and I'm just a DUMMY!" he has her say in a mocking version of her own voice.

And the crowd eats it up, of course.

He even chuckles at the joke. "You know Luan, I think I might be able to help you with that."

"Really, how?!" he has her say.

"Well, for starters, try getting the stick out of your butt. Or should I say- HAND!"

Again, it knocks 'em dead.

She knows it's not real- it can't be real, but it's still humiliating.

"Hey Luan, tell me a joke!" the dummy says.

"But Mr. Coconuts, you know I'm not funny!"

"…Oh coconuts, Luan! You make people laugh all the time!"

"Really?! I do?!"

"Why sure! Everybody laughs at how ugly you are!"

"Hey!" he has her whine back, and everyone laughs again.

And again, real, imaginary, or whatever; it hurts.

"Kids, do you like Luan?" Mr. Coconuts asks the crowd.

And in unison, they all shout: "NO!"

"Well, I can see why," he responds. "The only thing funny about her is how UNFUNNY she is!"

Again, they laugh, and Mr. Coconuts removes his hand from her back.

He has her face him.

"Well toots, I'd keep you around, but you're act's gotten WOODEN. Har har har!"

And with that, he tosses her away, and she finds herself falling into a deep, black abyss.

* * *

Luan has her voice back. She can feel and hear the screams leaving her throat as she falls further down this void, watching as the sky rapidly becomes a tiny circle of light before closing in all together.

She can move now too. When she lands on the ground of whatever this sunken place is, her nerves twitch and tremor in ways she took for granted, and she quickly sits up.

Where there was advanced darkness outside of the post office, there is now complete, total, eclipse in this place.

She feels her heart pounding almost against her ribs, like it may actually burst.

She's able to stand herself up, amazed that she's unharmed- let alone alive, after such a fall.

And it doesn't matter where she looks, there's darkness.

She places a hand over her chest, fighting to control her breaths.

"It's okay Luan… You're okay… You're okay…" she repeats.

"…Where am I?"

She begins slowly moving forward, hoping she'll discover something more than this blindness.

 _"I just want this nightmare to be over…"_

And after arbitrarily walking for a short while, she can finally see a rift of light in the distance.

"Thank God!" she blurts out, and slowly she makes her way to it, her heart refusing to relax.

The rift becomes larger and clearer, revealing a pristine, white hallway that she's seen and walked countless times.

"School; the field house," she thinks aloud.

She makes her way halfway through the bright white hall, and turns back.

There's still the blackness lurking behind her, like she's entered a portal.

It doesn't really matter though, because she's here, and the only place to go is forward.

Forward to a lonely door, which will take her to another lonely place.

She opens it, and she was right.

Just like her real school, it's the fieldhouse restroom.

And just like that day long ago, she could really use a breather.

So, she makes her way into the very same stall she did on that day, and takes a seat on the surprisingly clean toilet.

 _"Must resist urge to put hand in,"_ she jokes to herself, thankful that even after _everything_ , she still has a sense of humor.

But even after _everything_ , she still has the side to her few others ever see- the side that feels hopeless, and lost.

When she feels this way, she thinks back to the cliché J.R.R. Tolkien quote that normies so often cite.

 _"Not all those who wander are lost."_

Somehow, it actually makes her feel better.

Especially knowing she's not the only one. Maggie must feel this way too.

And together, they're not lost.

They're wanderers.

She buries her fear and frustration down deep- harder and stronger than she's ever needed to before, because this time, it actually counts.

And she leaves the stall, but not before peeking to see if there are any dark purple boots resting on the floor two stalls down.

There aren't.

* * *

She returns outside, and discovers that the empty blackness has been replaced with a complete hallway.

And Luan can't help but feel like she's been here before.

"Let me guess. I'm gonna open that door, and there's gonna be another hallway just like this one, right?" she says loud enough for anyone to hear.

Of course, there's no response, and she hadn't expected one.

And of course, she opens the door, and there's another hallway.

It's not entirely the same, though. There are now several windows lined up along both sides of the hall, and she can see that it's heavily raining outside.

She continues along, and passes through the door to the next hall, and see's something similar.

However, far out from the left side of the hall, she can see what looks like a room through the window.

She gets closer, cupping her hands over her eyes and pressing them against the glass.

It is a bedroom, _hers_ to be exact.

She can see that all of her things are gone from the room, and Luna's even brought in some new instruments.

"Watch the head love!" she hears Luna say in her British accent, then Lori comes through the door holding what looks like a cardboard cutout in her arm.

Luna and Leni come in, all smiles, and Lori props up the cutout- which depicts Mick Swagger.

"How's this?" she asks Luna.

"Passion killer! You're too much!" she responds.

"Right…" Lori says with an eye roll.

Leni excitedly clenches her fists to her chest. "Eek! It's so cool you have your own room now!"

"No lie! I think I could get used to this," Luna responds.

"Yeah, I'm literally jealous," Lori says, briefly scorning at Leni before they turn their attention back to the room.

"It's just too bad about Luan," she adds, sadly rubbing her arm.

Luna and Leni seem sad too.

"…If only she would've left sooner," Lori elaborates with a shrug, and they all go back to smiling and laughing.

"Yeah, no more lame puns!" Luna says.

"Yeah, or jokes!" Leni excitedly contributes.

The other two just give her an impatient glare, and then they all leave the room.

Luan steps back from the window.

"Wow… That's- really shitty," Luan somberly admits.

But she tells herself it's all Alessa, and her otherworldly charades.

"I guess there's some ROOM for improvement!" she jokes, hoping her enemy can hear her.

And not at all using humor to cover the hurt she doesn't feel.

She continues forward, heading through the door into the next identical hall.

And this time, there's a room far out from the right side of the hall.

So, she plays along again, and makes her way closer to a window to see the show.

It's Lucy and Lynn's room, and they're sitting on their beds, Lucy writing something in her diary, and Lynn tossing and catching a tennis ball.

Lisa barges in, catching them by surprise.

"Sororal units! Could I ask for your assistance with an experiment?!" she excitedly requests.

They both look at her with skepticism.

"I guess, but I'm not giving you any of my poop," Lynn asserts.

"No fecal manner needed Lynn, Jr. This is more of a sociological endeavor."

Lynn looks confused.

"She means she wants to ask us stuff," Lucy explains.

"Correct!" Lisa says with a smile, and she shuts the door, then takes a seat on the bed by Lynn.

"Either of you may participate, or both- it really doesn't matter. But I was wondering… Have you been feeling any distress or dissonance related to detachment from things in your life recently?"

Lynn frowns.

"Well, honestly…" she begins.

"…I have been feeling a little down since Marshall was eliminated from Dessert Storm."

 _"Of course,"_ Luan thinks to herself in the lonely hallway.

Back in the room, Lisa continues her interrogation.

"Lucy, have you anything to contribute?"

"Hmm… You mean like death?" she asks.

"…If that's what you wish to attribute this to," Lisa says with a shrug.

"Is this about Luan?" she asks.

"Well… Yes…" Lisa says, sadly looking down to the floor.

Then, the three just exchange looks for a moment.

"I don't miss her," Lucy blatantly states.

"Oh thank goodness," Lisa says with a smile, wiping sweat off of her forehead.

"I don't even have an experiment, to be entirely truthful. I simply wished to express my reprehensible contentment with her departure."

"Don't feel bad. I'm kind of glad she's gone," Lucy says, and the two smile.

"You guys, I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Lynn angrily interjects.

"Luan hasn't been gone for two weeks, and you're talking about being glad she's gone?! You should be ashamed," she firmly scolds.

The two girls frown.

Then, Lynn smiles.

"Haha, I'm just messing with you guys!" she reveals.

"Jeez- You really had me going there!" Lisa says.

"Yeah, my heart skipped a beat," Lucy adds.

"Hahaha, no way. Now that Luan's gone, we don't have to deal with that lame crap," Lynn says, and they all laugh.

They stand and make their way for the door.

"Remember the time Luan cried because I hid her stupid doll?" Lynn brags.

Lucy stops, appearing even more serious than usual.

"Luan who?"

And they all burst into laughter again, then make their way out the room.

Luan lets out a sigh akin to her eight year-old sister. "I guess the whole family is just happy I'm gone," she sardonically thinks out loud. "I can't wait to see what's next..."

And with a heavy heart, she reluctantly makes her way through the door again.

Outside the hall, there is another room.

She comes to the window, and sees that it's the Loud family living room.

Lincoln sits on the couch watching TV, and the twins are playing with some toys on the coffee table.

Lola takes a Kylo Ren action figure from Lana.

"Hey! Give that back!" she shouts.

"But he's Raven's boyfriend!" Lola argues.

"Teen Titans wouldn't even play with Star Wars?!" Lana refutes.

They each grit their teeth at one another.

"Guys, there's no need to fight! Just share Kylo Ren- err, Mr. Raven," Lincoln suggests.

They continue snarling.

But then they each smile.

"Alright, go ahead and use him," Lana happily tells Lola.

"Thanks sis. Here, you can play with SpongeBob!" Lola says, handing her the toy.

"Aww… Thanks!" Lana says, and they both hug.

Lincoln smiles, and looks out at nothing in particular.

"In the Loud house, it's not always easy for everyone to get along. But we've found that, without Luan around, it's actually been really nice!" he says, as if he's talking to someone.

 _"Who is he talking to?"_ Luan wonders.

Lynn, Sr. and Rita come in the front door with baby Lily.

"Whew, I am _bushed!"_ Lynn, Sr. announces.

"I'm gonna grab a soda honey, you want something?" he asks his wife.

"No thanks dear," she says with slight disappointment, and she sits Lily down to play with her sisters.

"I just want to sit down for a little bit."

And as Mr. Loud goes into the kitchen, she takes a seat on the recliner.

"Mom and Dad just got back from visiting Luan at the hospital. She still hasn't woke up, and it's _really_ exhausting having to go check up on her," Lincoln discreetly explains to whomever it is he's addressing.

He goes over to his mother.

"Well, how was it?" he asks.

She sighs. "Honestly Lincoln, I'm not sure how long I can keep doing this. It just seems…"

She stops, as if to find the right words to say.

"Kind of pointless?" Lynn, Sr. finishes, coming in to the room with his Dr. Pepper.

He takes a seat on the sofa now.

"Well, yes…" Rita remorsefully admits.

"Honey, we've done everything we can do. Maybe- Maybe it's time we just let things run their course. There's no reason to keep going to the hospital and checking on Luan when we have so many other things to focus on," he says, softly smiling at his daughters, who softly smile back.

"Is Luan the one with the buck teeth?" Lana asks.  
"You're right honey. I'm not going to beat myself up anymore," Rita proclaims.

"Good for you, Mom. Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we all sit down and watch a movie!" Lincoln says. "Luan always ruins the good ones anyway with her snarky comments," he mumbles to himself.

"Great idea buddy," his father tells him.

"Alright, I'm sold. I'll go pick something out," Rita happily tells them.

"I'll get the popcorn!" Lynn, Sr. announces.

"Popcorn!" Lincoln, Lana, and Lola chant in unison.

"Pop- con!" Lily coos.

"Awwww," everyone reacts, and they all head into the kitchen.

Luan backs away from the window, and as much as she'd like to say something cute and snarky to show Alessa she can't be brought down, she just can't.

Because apparently, she _can_ be brought down.

The sense of confidence she felt leaving the restroom is gone, and in its place is the feeling that- regardless of whether or not these were really her family members or some sort of illusion, the feeling that she isn't loved.

And that everyone is better off without her.

With nothing left to do, she makes her way to the door at the end of the hallway, praying that it will take her anywhere but here.

* * *

In a way, she gets her wish.

She finds herself in the hall of Royal Woods Middle school, just like she would if real world architecture applied to Silent Hill.

Things seem normal for the most part, no grime or rust covering the walls, or graffiti, or monsters.

Not that she's disappointed.

Then again, it's not like she can't feel the haze either, or whatever it is she's feeling inside of her after that display in the never ending annex hall.

She'd almost rather feel afraid. It was one thing for Silent Hill to exploit what makes her afraid, but now it's attacking her for who she is and what she cares about.

She continues along, and stops in her tracks.

She can hear whispers.

She proceeds carefully and quietly, turning around the bend that leads to the lockers.

And the whispering becomes louder.

At first, they're all jumbled and unclear, but she's able to make them out as she makes her way through.

"That stupid clown girl… Teeth like a beaver… Beaver eater!... She should just kill herself… So ugly… Dykes holding hands… Should just kill themselves… Fucking queer… April Fools!... Get it?!... Inbred bitch… Fucking loser… Jump off a bridge… Kill yourself…"

 _"Please make it stop…"_ she thinks, doing everything she can not to just sit down a cry.

She almost passes by her locker, which is wide open for some reason.

She goes and checks the inside of it.

Inside, there are hundreds of little white envelopes stacked on top of each other, all labeled with little red hearts and her name.

She grabs one and unseals it.

Written on the sheet of paper inside: **1-800-273-8255.**

She simply drops the paper and looks up to the ceiling.

 _"Why are you doing this to me?"_

From further down the hall, she hears what sounds like a locker door creaking open, and she turns to see that one is.

And she almost doesn't want to see what's inside, but decides it's best to fall in line.

She makes her way over, and can hear faint crying.

When she looks around, there's no one else around though.

So, she tries her best to ignore it, and looks inside the mysterious locker.

Inside, there are photos of Maggie: some of her as a happy child, others of her as she knows her now, and even one of her taken at that infamous birthday party.

But there's one that makes them all dull in comparison; an image so striking and daunting she literally is taken back.

It is a black and white shot that depicts her lying face down in a puddle of dark liquid.

Probably blood.

Her eyes are glazed over, seemingly forfeit.

It's the most horrible thing she's ever seen.

And it makes Luan break.

"Why?! Why are you doing this?!" she screams. "Just leave us alone! Please!"

But her display reaps no reward, and the tears get her nowhere, as usual.

She turns back to the locker and shreds the photograph, then trudges her way down the hall and to the main entrance, almost instinctively.

* * *

Luan rushes out of the double doors, making herself vulnerable to the pouring night rain.

And just like before, it's really dark, she's alone, and Maggie seems to be gone forever.

There are variables amongst the constants, however, with the most significant being a house at the end of what _was_ a never ending street.

And she runs for it, completely disregarding her asthma.

…

She steps onto the front porch, and just sort of stands in front of the door for a moment.

 _"What could possibly be next?..."_

Then, she gets the nerve to place her hand on the knob, and push the door open.

Inside, it's just a normal living room.

Aside from the shades of purple and white color scheme, and splotches on the walls where picture frames _used_ to hang, things aren't so different from her own home.

And something about it feels- different.

Not necessarily "safe," but not like Otherworld either.

It's bright, and cozy, and there's virtually no way one would know it's raining outside.

It makes her miss _her_ home.

But there's little time for that.

So she begins her investigation in the kitchen, where she can hear what sounds like a voice.

And it is a voice, coming from an old boom box radio.

*Flash flood warnings are in effect for the area. Please proceed to immediate shelter and avoid driving at all costs.*

Nothing seems remarkable, except for what smells like strawberry cupcake lingering in the air.

 _"Okay… Now I'm perplexed. At least you're changing it up Alessa."_

There's a door where she's guessing a garage would be, but it's locked, and she doesn't have her trusty Fingerbang powers, or even her loyal lock picking sidekick.

So she leaves it be for now, even though it's probably the way out.

But Luan's learned the game by now, and she knows to go check out the rest of the house for whatever creepy goodies Alessa wants her to find.

So she makes her way upstairs, where the favorable cupcake smell begins to wane, and she proceeds into a bedroom on the west side of the house.

It's an otherwise bland room, probably that of a couple.

And according to some framed pictures on the dresser, she's right.

In one, a tired looking woman with poofy red hair and light brown skin stands next to a tall man with graying hair and a beard, and they're smiling.

"They look happy," she thinks aloud. "Hmm… I've seen her before… Where though? Always more questions than answers with this place…"

She leaves the room, and makes her way to the room across the hall.

The first thing that stands out is the amethyst colored carpet, and second are the many posters for punk bands she hasn't even heard of.

Then there's the familiar fragrance she can't quite reference by name, but rather from experience.

 _"It can't be."_

It is.

The pictures of friends and family taped to a dresser by the bed give it away.

This is Maggie's room.

 _"I don't understand. Why is this here?... Is this really her room?"_

Childishly, it's intriguing to see her most sacred place. Conversely, it's hard to take this seriously under the given circumstances.

She picks up the Daryl Dixon plushy on her bed.

 _"Ugh… She would be a Dead-Head. But Norman is a cutey. It's weird seeing this stuff… Has she seen my stuff? We're going to have a fucked up friendship if we get out of this."_

She places the doll on the bed, and makes her way to the doorway.

She takes a look back, studying the nuances of the room for one last moment, then cracks the door shut.

She makes her way over to the stairs.

 _"Okay… Now what?"_ she wonders.

Then, there's a very loud bang.

Like a gunshot.

She nearly jumps, but is able to contain herself.

It sounds like it came from the bedroom, so she cautiously heads back.

She sees the door eerily creaking open, and what seems like the light of a flame beaming from the crevice.

Inside the room, everything is gone. The bed, the posters, the dresser with the pictures, even the carpet.

On the now hardwood floor, there are several candles, flowers, and letters surrounding some pictures of Maggie.

 _"A shrine…"_

Now, she can hear the rain pouring down.

She makes her way back downstairs, and the radio tunes in again.

*The girl… Age thirteen… Found dead in her home after shooting herself with her stepfather's pistol… Little known at the time… Teachers and classmates say she was 'distant'…*

 _"No, that can't be real…"_

Suddenly, she can hear what sounds like a phone ringing.

And it keeps ringing, well past what it normally would.

As she looks for the source, the radio continues cutting through different signals.

*Suicide rates in Michigan could be higher.*

*Teenagers undervalue life… Expect instant gratification… Don't understand what it means to be depressed.*

*Maybe I should kill myself!... SAIL!*

*Do you wanna die?*

*Gun control too strict… Women should have greater access to firearms.*

It's all becoming too much for her. The phone's ringing, the voices on the radio, the voices in the halls, seeing her family, seeing Maggie, not knowing what's real and what's not- it's maddening!

"Stop it!" she yells as loud as she can, clenching fistfuls of her hair, tears coming down her cheeks.

Finally, she thinks she's found the source of the ringing.

The phone's _inside_ the front door.

She just stands there, thinking of the possibilities, wishing more than ever that she could just blast the thing with her powers.

But she can't, and it just sets her off.

She kicks the thing, but it's no use.

"Make it stop!" she yells again.

Then, she sees the locked garage door.

And with nothing left to lose, she kicks, shoves, and barges against it.

"Ughhh!"

She steps back a reasonable distance.

She sets her eyes to the door, and with all of her fortitude, charges.

And it comes crashing down.

She picks herself up off the ground, letting out a raspy cough.

Although there's mostly useless clutter in the diminutive room, one thing stands out.

An axe.

So she hurries over and grabs it, then makes her way back into the living room.

*Environmentalists seem to have disproven global warming and climate change. Scientists refute that-* a voice on the radio says.

"Oh, shut up!" Luan tells it, and smashes it with an overhead swing.

Then, she turns her attention to the door and the ringing phone.

And with little hesitation, she begins chopping through it with all the strength and adrenaline she can muster- sweating, crying, shouting, and even reopening the gash on her hand.

Then, she falls to her knees.

And it's finally quiet. Just her, alone with her conscience.

Until the phone begins ringing again.

She looks up, and sees a little pink phone lying on the floor before her.

She checks the caller ID.

 **1-800-273-8255.**

She swipes the green answer key, and holds it up to her ear with her good hand.

"Hello. You've reached the suicide prevention lifeline. My name is Taylor and I'd be happy to talk with you."

There's numbness. All the crazy emotions that were sparking inside of her have atrophied, leaving her completely drained.

"Hello?" the operator says again.

"…Where's Maggie?" Luan responds.

And for a moment, the voice is silent.

"She's gone… There's no use… Everyone you know and love is already dead…"

"So, maybe it would be best if you just killed yourself."

And she hangs up, leaving Luan to listen to an insipid and uncaring dial tone.

She hangs up too, and places the phone on the floor.

She just sits there, alone with her thoughts, and her internal emptiness.

Then, she hears a door creaking.

She turns around to see that the garage door she had previously broken through is now upright, as if she never touched it, and is swinging open- calling to her.

And she answers its call.

* * *

Inside, there's emptiness. All the clutter is gone, leaving only a dark blank space surrounded by four unforgiving walls.

Placed perfectly square in the middle of the ground is a pistol.

Luan slowly makes her way to it, and kneels down.

She picks it up. It's the first firearm she's ever seen this close in person, let alone held.

It's cold.

She wouldn't even know how to tell if it's loaded just by looking at it, but she is smart enough to identify the safety mechanism and turn it off.

She considers firing it, just because.

 _"But what if there's only one bullet?"_ she asks herself.

And again, she sits alone with her thoughts.

There's peace in this moment. No monsters, no static, no shouting or laughing, just natural silence.

She looks at the blood coming from her hand, and how apropos… This is really all life is isn't it? Noise, blood, and the lack thereof.

It would be quick. It wouldn't hurt. And it may be the only option left.

Maggies' last memories of her would be goofing off in the mall and speaking heart-to-heart.

Her parents and siblings would be none the wiser.

She would be remembered just how she wants to be: Luan Loud, the mask she wears to make others, and herself, smile.

And could she be any luckier to have it end that way?

Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't matter.

She has made her decision.

She raises the gun, and fires.

And again.

And again.

And again and again until there are no bullets left in the chamber, hitting only the cold wall ahead of her.

Then she tosses it, and lets everything out.

And it feels _good_ to cry.

Minutes pass into oblivion, and she just can't cry anymore.

She can't bring herself to move either.

She just wants to sit here, alone with her thoughts, and the internal emptiness.

She closes her eyes.

"Luan!"

* * *

She jolts up.

Gone are the four unforgiving walls of the diminutive room.

Here is a hallway where there are lights shining on the ceiling- even if they're not very bright, and a set of stairs a few paces behind her.

"Luan!" the same voice calls out again.

 _"That voice…"_

"Maggie?!"

* * *

 **I'm going to make this set of notes especially long-winded because I don't anticipate doing anymore for the remainder of the fic.**

 **Now for the content of this chapter. I'm well aware that the G-rated family friendly stuff we know and love from Loud House has pretty much been tossed out the window, but I'm not going to apologize. I felt compelled to write about the subjects I did, and I just did. However, I hope I haven't made anyone too uncomfortable with my excessive cursing and the stuff they don't put in kid's shows. If I have, then I am sorry for that. Know that I tend to get carried away with that stuff.**

 **On a lighter note!... When it comes to the voice of the radio announcer, I imagine the guy from PT. The stuff from the video tape, in case you haven't played Silent Hill, was taken verbatim from Lisa Garland. I don't own Silent Hill or The Loud House! [I should have probably said that stuff sooner, but oh well:D]**

 **Finally, you guys. I want to express, from the bottom of my heart, how much it means that even one person would read my work. I do this because I love it, but it's even more gratifying when you have others to share it with. So I want to thank each and every one of you who have given me your precious time to read this thing, because it means the world to me. Hopefully you've gained something from reading this, whatever it may be.**

 **We have two more chapters to look forward to, then that's it. Lights out. Game over. Roll the credits. I hope that you all will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it, and I look forward to any feedback I get once this things done. Hint Hint;)**

 **Thank you so much, one last time, and I hope you've enjoyed this journey.**


	17. In Water

_"Come on, Luan… I need you…"_ Maggie thinks.

Standing here, tied to a post, while the cold Silent Hill rain falls around her.

Then there's Alessa, the mysterious and evil stranger guised like Luan; who stands before her, seemingly in control of it all.

Where she was manically babbling on about Gods and mothers before, she now stands calm and collected, looking to the sky, gesturing her hands as if the rain is her doing.

 _"Or maybe she's just nuts."_

Regardless of the circumstances, Maggie has had enough. She's tried being loud, and she's tried being silent.

Now she wants to be loud again.

"Hey- You, crazy lady!" she shouts, but Alessa doesn't acknowledge her.

"Hey! I don't know _what_ your deal is… But I can tell you right now, this won't work out the way you're hoping it will!"

Still nothing.

"Listen bitch! I'm gonna get out of here, and I'm gonna bash your fucking head in! You hear me?!"

That got her attention.

She calmly lowers her arms, and turns to face Maggie with a snide smile.

"You know- It's a shame you have such poor taste…" she begins, and places her hands behind her back.

She pompously paces towards her hostage.

"…I'm having such fun playing with Luan, and I've got no one to share it with."

Maggie scorns.

"Now don't get upset… She's still alive, for now. But you should really see how she's handling it," she adds with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?..."

"It actually takes quite a bit of effort to shape and mold these Otherworlds as I see fit… But you'd be impressed just how easily I've done it this time. Everything she sees, everything she hears…"

"Stop fucking with me and tell me what you've done to her!"

Alessa sneers.

"Being spiteful will only get you so far Maggie. Trust me, I know," she says, once again turning her back on her.

"In fact, the only reason I'm even here is because I have my powers… Maybe if you'd learned to use yours, you'd be so lucky…"

Maggie just mentally curses to herself, grinding her teeth and clenching her fists.

"You know, I think I'm getting bored with Luan," she says, turning back to Maggie. "I think she can take it from here."

She comes to her face.

"I don't think I ever told you who I really am."

"You said it didn't matter, remember?" Maggie snidely retorts.

"Hmph," Alessa arrogantly huffs. "There's a method to my madness, believe it or not…"

"My name is Alessa Gillespie."

"Big deal," Maggie scoffs.

Alessa isn't amused.

"I'm trying to be patient with you Maggie. I _could_ just wipe you out when I'm done with you, but I'd rather keep you around. It gets- lonely, at the top."

"…Keep me around?"

"Oh Maggie… You have no idea just how special you really are…" she tells her, placing her hand on her cheek, softly- sinisterly smiling.

And Maggie spits right in her face.

She wipes the saliva off of her cheek, and snarls.

"You stupid-! Do you have any idea just how powerful I am?! What I can do to you?!... I made all of this! I made all of this happen!... And you want to spit in my face?!"

Maggie defiantly grins.

"You fucking- stupid girl! You just made the biggest mistake of your life! I was going to let you live to see what I do to this world- to let you be a part of it with me. But now I'm gonna peel the flesh from our bones!"

Maggie's sense of pride becomes shadowed by intimidation.

"First, I'm gonna make your little girlfriend blow her pretty little brains out. Then, I'm gonna wash this hellhole off the face of the earth! Then, I think I'll just make my way to Royal Woods, crushing every little thing in my path, until finally I-"

 _WHACK!_

The sound of metal hitting bone.

Maggie flinches, then opens her eyes to see Bady standing before her, holding a frying pan, looking confused as she hovers over Alessa's fallen body.

"Bady?!"

"Oh, hi Maggie," she says with a smile and a wave.

 _"Bady- Frying Pan- Alessa-"_

"Wh- What did you do?" Maggie stammers.

Bady shrugs. "I hit her in the head with this thingy. She seemed distracted enough," Bady nonchalantly boasts, checking her nails.

And although she's taken back, Maggie's quick on her feet to get moving.

"Listen, untie me! We've gotta find Luan! We have to get out of here!"

Bady makes her way around to begin untying the girl. "Sheesh, this is a tight knot. Oh, and I know," she remarks.

"What?"

"I was with Luan."

"What?! Where is she?!"

"We got separated because I'm too fat," she says with a pout. "But then I started singing Eye of the Tiger to myself, and ran up the stairs to get the blood pumping, and then I found you guys up here!"

Maggie has nothing to say to that.

And Bady is able to untie the knot.

"Vala!" she says, meaning " _Voila._ "

Maggie rubs her raw wrists, and dusts herself off.

Then they look down at Alessa.

She has the power of a God, and she was knocked out by a frying pan.

"Thanks Bady," Maggie tells her.

"No prob."

"Where's Luan?"

"Hmm?"

"Luan! You said you were with her?!"

"Oh, right! She went down this elevator to the basement, but it was only gonna let her down. I didn't know what to do!"

Maggie frowns. "Did you try the stairs?"

Bady looks confused, then brightens up as if she's had an epiphany.

"Ohhhhhhhh!"

"Yeah… Come on, we have to save her!" Maggie says, but Bady doesn't follow.

"You go on ahead. I'm gonna stay here and make sure she stays down!" Bady says trying to look tough, holding the frying pan by the actual pan instead of the handle. She corrects her error, then goes back to trying to look tough.

Maggie just softly smiles, and hurries through the storm door.

Luan hears her name being called, and snaps out of her stupor.

Whatever that was, whether it was real or not-

She's glad it's over.

"Luan!" the voice cries out again.

 _"That voice…"_

"Maggie?!" Luan shouts back, and she quickly makes her way up the stairs behind her.

She doesn't even get halfway up, and there she is.

Maggie.

She freezes, Luan freezes, and they just look at one another.

Maggie's eyes water.

"Is that really you?" Luan asks her.

She doesn't even say anything, she just hurries down the steps and wraps her arms around her, squeezing tightly, wishing she could never let go.

And Luan does the same.

This is real.

And now she's crying too. She's so warm, and her smell, and it's just so wonderful to have her to herself again.

"I thought you didn't do hugs," Luan says with a smile.

"Shut up," Maggie says back, finally breaking the bond so she can look into her brown eyes.

And she can see the change in them. Luan is hurt, physically bruised and emotionally drained. Her eyes are mesmerizing in that, they are equally vibrant with affliction and triumph.

"Let me get a look at you. Are you hurt?" she asks Maggie, gently cupping her chin.

"Me? Look at you?!" she retorts, carefully touching the wound on her cheek, then her injured hand.

"You won't _believe_ what I went through to get here," she tells her.

But she can see that Maggie is in no mood for humor. Similarly, her eyes have changed too.

"I was so scared," she confesses.

"Me too," Luan somberly tells her.

And for what seems like only the first time, they lose each other, staring deeply into one another's painful eyes.

But it's not over yet.

They're taken out of their shared trance by the rising water at their feet.

Luan looks back at Maggie.

"Listen, I'm not alone. I found Bady, and-"

"I know. She saved me," Maggie explains.

"Where is she?" Luan asks.

"This girl, she looked like you-"

"Alessa?"

"Yeah… She had me tied up on the roof. She was saying all these crazy, horrible things, and then Bady showed up and hit her with a pan."

"A pan?"

"A pan…"

The water has almost reached their ankles.

"We have to stop her Maggie. It's the only way we can leave this place."

"Right…"

And Luan takes her by the hand, and begins running up the steps.

But Maggie halts her.

"…Don't you ever leave me again," she says, only somewhat jokingly.

"I won't," Luan responds, as seriously as she can, meeting her eyes once more.

But they can't afford the luxury of another heart-to-heart moment, because the water is rapidly rising at an alarming rate.

They make their way up to the first floor, and see that their window to safely make it up to the roof is narrowing fast.

"Come on!" Luan shouts, and they hustle up to the next set of stairs.

But the water is exponentially faster, and by the time they've gotten up to the second floor, it's up to their knees.

"Luan?!..."

"We're gonna make it!" she insists.

They make their way to the nearest ascending stairs, only to discover they're closed off by a black folding gate.

"Luan?!" Maggie cries again.

The water is now up to their stomachs.

"This way!" Luan orders, leading her over to the far end of the hallway.

It reaches their chests.

They're halfway there.

It's up to their necks.

"Luan!"

They are now completely submerged.

They swim over to the next stairway, and are again met by a gate.

They both try pulling it open, but it won't budge.

Luan can feel her chest tightening.

Desperately, she musters all of her strength to summon her powers.

There's a flash of blue light, and she can hear a blast muffling through the water.

But the gate is still intact.

This is certain, but is also true that the blast wasn't entirely ineffective.

There is a small hole where the fence links with the wall.

She and Maggie both grab a hold of the weakened spot, and begin pulling with all of their strength, slowly prying the gate open.

But Luan's condition gets the worst of her, and she struggles for air.

It may be a stupid idea, it may not help at all. In fact, it might just make things worse.

But Maggie has to try something.

She pulls Luan in, pinches her nose, and presses her mouth to hers. She exhales all of the air that she possibly can, giving it to her.

She releases, and for a moment, they're stunned.

But Maggie quickly returns to prying the hole, and Luan joins her after straightening up.

Together, they pull with all of their might, both becoming heavy headed- struggling to keep from going under.

But finally, the gate gives way, and they each swim through.

It's easier for Maggie, she doesn't have asthma to contend with after all.

But Luan barely has the strength to push forward.

So Maggie grabs her, and pulls her over her shoulder as she's done so many times before, and helps carry her weight as they swim to the storm door.

They push it open, and a geyser of water bursts out, carrying them to the surface below.

And Luan and Maggie both take the deepest, most refreshing breaths they've ever inhaled in their lives.

Luan has a coughing fit of course, and Maggie pulls her in to cradle her as she gets it all out.

"…You just- couldn't wait to kiss me again, huh?" Luan quips.

And they share a soft, weak smile.

But it's tainted by the threatening gaze they can feel upon them.

On the other side of the roof, Alessa stands above Bady- who lies unconscious.

She stares at them as if she could burn a hole with her eyes.

Before Luan can react with a quick blast of energy, Alessa swiftly levitates over to her, and squirts her with the flower on her blouse.

 _"What the-?!"_ Luan thinks, wiping red liquid off of her face.

"You just couldn't let her go, could you?!" she scornfully says.

 _"Aglaophotis…"_ Luan thinks, recognizing the red liquid.

She tries again to conjure her powers, but they've escaped her.

And Alessa smiles an evil smile.

"I kept it. Figured it would come in handy if you decided to pull your shit again," she explains.

Then, she extends her hand, and fires a blast of her own at Luan, sending her careening into the storm door.

"Luan!" Maggie cries, watching her friend fall so easily.

She lets out a pained groan as she falls down to the canvas, and simply can't get up.

Maggie snarls at her attacker.

"You rotten-"

Before she can finish uttering the word, Alessa blasts her too.

Luan is finally able to raise her head up, seeing the wicked girl towering over her, the energy surging all around her.

"I gave you the chance to go home… To spend the last waking moments of your life with the comfort of your family!" Alessa asserts.

"…But I have to admit, you're a hell of a fighter."

Luan can just barely raise herself up off the canvas- enough to make it to her knees.

Maggie comes to, nudging herself enough to rest her eyes on the action.

"So I've gotta ask Luan… Was it all worth it? The scars? The torment?... All just to make it this far and die with your _precious_ Maggie?" she diabolically asks.

Luan meets her eyes with a vengeful gaze of her own.

The she looks to Maggie, and Maggie looks to her.

"…Every minute."

Alessa laughs.

"You're funny to the bitter end, Loud!... But the joke's over… It's time to end this," she says, raising her hand for another blow.

"Wait!" Luan yelps, raising her hands.

And Alessa indulges her.

"Before you kill me… Please- let me tell her the joke…"

Alessa laughs again.

"Really? I'm about to kill you and you want to tell a joke? That's it?..."

"…What kind of idiot do you take me for?!"

Luan straightens up, and wraps her hands together to beg. "Please… You've already won. Just… Please- It's my best one and, I need to tell her," she says.

Conflicted, Alessa reluctantly gives in.

"Fine… It must be good if you're willing to die for it. Get on with it before I change my mind."

Luan slowly, carefully stands up.

She nervously dusts herself off, checking to see that Alessa isn't going to just shoot her.

She clears her throat, and begins.

"Okay, so there's this guy… And he's walking home one night… And he keeps hearing this _bumping_ sound. _Bump, bump, bump_ …"

"He turns around, and he sees this upright casket- just bouncing up and down the road… and it's coming after him…"

"So he starts to run… and the thing just keeps coming after him. Finally, he gets to the front door of his house, but the thing just won't let up. So, he hurries inside, and he shuts and locks the door…"

"He hurries upstairs, and he can hear the casket come barging in through the door. So he goes into the bathroom, locks the door, and looks for something he can use to defend himself…"

"He can hear the casket making it's way up the stairs, and he knows he's running out of time… but the only thing he can find- is this bottle of cough syrup…"

"So he grabs it, and takes cover in the bathtub… Then, the casket barges in through the door…"

"Out of desperation, he tosses the bottle of cough syrup at the casket…"

"And wouldn't you know it… Just like that…"

"The COFFIN stops."

…

Alessa's complexion changes several times, before she settles into a wide, hardy smile.

Then, she proceeds to laugh hysterically.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!... That's the funniest damn thing I've ever heard! Oh man! Oh man!... You're a _funny_ motherfucker, Loud!... Phew! That's genius?! Oh my god… I needed that, I really did. I haven't had a good laugh like that in a _long_ time… Hahaha!... Oh…"

She wipes a tear from her eye, and Maggie and Luan just look at her, then each other, unsure how to react.

She sighs, and turns her attention back to Luan.

"Huhhh… Too bad I gotta kill you now," she says through a smile.

She raises her hand.

And Luan desperately squirts her with her own gag flower.

"Pshhh?! What the-?!" she sputters, completely taken by surprise.

Then, she snarls, and prepares for her attack.

And as she does, Maggie quickly jumps up, and charges for her.

Just as the villain realizes this, she connects with a vicious tackle to her abdomen, spearing her right off the roof.

"Maggie!" Luan cries, hurrying to the ledge.

Down below, she can see that the streets are completely flooded.

She also sees Maggie pop her head out of the water to gasp for air.

She sees Luan, and shouts her name. "Luan!"

"Maggie!"

"Luan! Help!"

"Don't worry Maggie! I'm coming!" she hollers, and she steps back from the ledge.

She looks at Bady, who is still lying lifelessly on the canvas.

 _"I hope she's okay…"_

Then she turns her attention back to Maggie, who is steadily flowing with the stream.

"Tally-ho," Luan utters, and she dives in.

Luan Loud is not much of a swimmer.

In fact, she hardly gets any exercise at all.

If you'd ask her, she'd tell you the only work out she gets is jumping to conclusions, or stretching the truth.

However, even Luan Loud can swim pretty damn good- asthma and all, when her best friend's life is in danger.

So she rides the current and strokes harder than she knew she even could, until she's nearly caught up to the other girl.

Apparently, Maggie's not much of a swimmer either.

She turns her back towards the current, and lets it carry her as she lets out panicked coughs. Then she sees Luan, and does her best to straighten up.

"Luan!"

"I've got you," she says, finally reaching and pulling her in close.

Together they ride the stream, and they see just the top of a strange tower up ahead in the distance.

And actually, it's a lighthouse.

"Get ready," Luan says to Maggie.

"For what?"

And as they draw nearer to the structure, Luan reaches out and grabs on to the ledge of its base.

Maggie fights the current, and she too is able to grab on with Luan's help.

They climb their way up, Luan first, then Maggie.

Then they watch as trees, signs, and other miscellaneous foreign objects weightlessly drift along the water, taking a moment to recover.

"Was it good for you?" Maggie quips, smirking at Luan.

They share a weak chuckle.

But the water can only rise, and it would be wise to move to higher ground.

"Come on. Let's go up," Luan tells Maggie, and she readily complies.

They make their way inside the tower, and begin ascending the dark spiral staircase up to the roof.

They go through the storm door, and meet the grey open sky.

"So now what?" Luan thinks aloud.

Maggie is smiling.

"What?" Luan skeptically asks.

Maggie pulls out a small pink flower from behind her.

"Is that what I think it is?" Luan asks.

"Tada!" Maggie utters.

And it is what she thinks it is: the very same Aglaophotis rigged gag flower that Alessa used to weaken Luan.

"How did you-?"

"I have my ways," Maggie arrogantly answers.

And Luna just smiles.

"Give it to me!" a demonic voice roars.

It's Alessa, and she suddenly manifests before the two girls.

They're both jarred, falling to the canvas below.

Alessa turns to Maggie, and prepares an orb of energy with her left hand.

Luan jumps up, attempting to flank her. "No!"

She fires the bolt at her instead, but she's able to evade it.

Alessa charges at her, and Luan jumps out of the way.

Maggie frantically looks around.

She's dropped the flower.

And almost simultaneously, all three of the girls catch eye of the flower, lying carelessly on the rooftop.

Maggie runs first, then Luan.

And Alessa rushes after.

She violently shunts the two girls out of her way, and grabs hold of the flower.

She raises it above her head, and begins monstrously laughing.

"You idiots! Did you honestly think you could defeat me with this- this…"

But upon closer inspection, she realizes this is _not_ her flower.

It's Luan's.

Meanwhile, the other two girls are pulling themselves off the canvas, and Luan weakly positions the Aglaophotis rigged flower for an attack.

Maggie grabs hold of her wrist, and pulls herself in to support her.

"Fingerbang?" she says to her.

"Fingerbang," Luan affirms.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Alessa cries, and the girls squirt her with the mystic red liquid.

She lets out a blood-curling shriek, and a magnificent surge of energy expels all around her.

The girls shield their eyes, watching through the cracks of their fingers as the girl morphs back into her hideous, ghost like form.

And after a while, the lights fade, and the shrieking stops.

The girls uncover their eyes, and find that a pale girl with short black hair is curled up on the rooftop.

Cautiously, they rise up, and creep their way over to her.

She's pathetically shivering and moaning- a far cry from the tumultuous and treacherous villain they've come to know.

She notices them.

"Don't look at me…" she shutters.

Maggie fiercely steps forward, but Luan holds her back.

She simply shakes her head at her, and she calms down.

Then, Luan steps forward.

The weakened Alessa looks up to her, maintaining her defensive position.

"Don't come after us again," she sternly warns.

Alessa whimpers, and nods her head affirmatively.

And with that, the two girls make their way for the storm door.

"Luan, look," Maggie says, pointing to the ground below.

She does, and sees that the flood has cleared, and the storm is over.

The girls slowly yet surely make their way down Sanford street.

"You were amazing," Maggie tells Luan.

"Well… I had my loyal sidekick," she responds, smiling at her.

And she smiles back, of course.

They're actually pretty quiet for the most part.

Everything they've been through has taken its toll, and they need not say everything just yet.

There will be plenty of time for that later. For now, they're just happy to have each other.

"So… what did you think of my joke?" Luan almost hesitates to ask.

Maggie playfully scoffs.

"It was the stupidest- most wonderful thing I've ever heard…"

"Mostly stupid?" Luan gleefully adds.

"Yeah," she gleefully agrees.

Everything seems so perfect.

They've been reunited, the villain has been defeated, and the sun is actually shining through the clouds over the serene atmosphere.

But something isn't right.

In fact, they can feel it.

They turn around, and discover they're being followed.

"Hi guys!" Bady says with a bright smile and a friendly wave.

Luan and Maggie just share a grin, and wave back.

Bady runs over, and wraps Luan into a big hug.

"Haha, good to see you kid," Luan comments.

Then she turns to Maggie.

"I don't do hugs-" she reaffirms.

And Bady pouts.

Maggie turns to see Luan scolding her with her eyes.

She sighs, and extends her arms. "Alright…"

"Yay!" she exclaims, and she wraps her arms around the reluctant girl.

She squeezes and squeezes, and Luan chuckles.

"Alright… enough…" Maggie says, and Bady happily releases her.

Luan sighs of relief. "I'm glad you're okay Bady. I hear you really PANNED Alessa! Hahaha!"

She excitedly claps. "Oooh! I get it! Like a pun!"

"Haha! Yup!" Luan confirms, and Maggie groans.

"Well… I guess things are somewhat back to normal…"

"Not quite yet," Luan refutes, nervously rubbing her neck.

"Bady, why don't you explain to Maggie what's up?"

"Huh?" she ditzily responds.

Luan just gestures her hands, as if to say, _"Her powers?!"_

"Ohhhh! _Right…_ " she says with a wink.

"I won't tell anybody you kissed!"

Maggie gives Luan a surprised look, and she nervously stammers. They both blush.

Bady laughs.

"You guys! I'm kidding!... Maggie, we've got to talk," she says, taking a seat on the curb, and patting the spot beside her.

The other two just raise their brows at her.

 _"Wait for it…"_

Bady quickly stands back up with a disgusted look on her face.

"Eww… Now my butt's wet!"

"Luan, what's going on?" Maggie asks.

And she again rubs her neck. "Well, see, you're kind of the reason we're here…"

Maggie just raises her brow.

"See, you have powers too. And, it's because of them we ended up here," Luan explains.

"Okay…" Maggie dubiously responds. "Let's say that's true. What're you getting at?"

"Well… Maybe you can get us back home, too," Luan suggests.

Maggie's expressions change until she settles for a pout.

"How? I didn't even know I had powers…"

"Well… Maybe we can work on it together," Luan says, grabbing her hand and giving her an encouraging smile.

Maggie perks up just a little. "Okay," she simply says.

Bady conveys deep thought with a cliché hand on her chin as she looks to the sky.

"Hmm… I may be able to help," she implies, and she extends her hands- one to Maggie and one to Luan.

They skeptically look at her, then one another, then accept her hands.

…

The three of them stand in a circle, and Bady puts on her level 2 thinking face.

Luan giggles, and Maggie shoots her a scornful glare.

"Yes… Yes!... I think I got it!" Bady declares.

And as she does, a surge on energy flows between the three of them.

"Woah- What the-?!" Maggie utters.

And Luan just laughs.

But Bady sniffles as her eyes water.

"I- I- I'm gonna miss you guys!"

"You're not coming with us?" Luan questions.

"I can't. I'm only real in this world… But don't worry! I have that doggy to keep me company!" she tells them.

"What dog?" Maggie asks, and just as she does, she and Luan fall to the ground, and everything fades to black.


	18. Together

**Final song suggestion: "On Melancholy Hill" by Gorillaz. My song for Luaggie.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Luan Loud wakes from a deep sleep.

There were no dreams, of course; but the memories of a sulking, worn out town shrouded in fog are fresh in her mind as she opens her eyes.

As if she had dreamed.

The walls are pristine white, and she feels stiff, and there's tubes, and yeah…

It's the hospital.

The real world.

She doesn't panic. In fact, she lets out a sigh of relief.

 _"I'm home,"_ she thinks.

But Luan Loud is her own worst enemy, and the euphoria she feels is soon subjugated by doubt.

And fear.

Not the kind where a monster is in the closet, or a ghost is in the hall.

Or that you may have contracted a rare, incurable disease after shoving your hand into a pile of shit clogging up a toilet.

No, it's fear that it may have all been for nothing.

Luan knows where she is, and why. She's been here already.

But Maggie…

She looks around, hoping the doctors and nurses will come barging in as they did before.

Upon closer inspection, she realizes she's been moved into a different room.

More importantly, she has a roommate.

Sitting in a bed just a few paces to her right is pale girl with long black hair and bangs, and adorable freckles.

She, like Luan, is connected to all sorts of wires and tubes.

It breaks her heart to see her like _this_ , but it feels so good to know she's here with her.

"Maggie…" she weakly lets out, her throat raspy, and she bursts into a coughing fit.

Maybe it's not a good idea, but she takes the mask rigged up to her face off, and tries her hardest to get it all out.

The pale, adorably freckled girl opens her pale grey eyes. She groggily takes in the strange new reality around her, and notices the other girl sitting up and unattractively coughing everywhere.

And Luan realizes she's awake.

She just looks at her, unsure what to say or feel. She's frozen. Paralyzed.

The girl gives her a confused, scared look.

"Luan?..."

"Maggie!" she hollers as loud as she can, and she smiles wide from ear to ear.

The other girls smiles too, and lets out small, weak laugh.

"You sound funny…" she says all nasally like.

"You look funny…" the other girl bites back, and they share a laugh.

Luan lies back.

 _"We did it…"_

"Where are we?" Maggie asks.

She doesn't answer, because she assumes the rumbling from out in the hall means that a gaggle of nurses and their dutiful master Patrick Wells will barge in and-

The door opens.

Yep.

The hospital workers scatter around the room, checking vitals and charts and all that stuff while Dr. Wells calmly approaches Luan.

"Welcome back," he says with a smile.

Luan smiles back at him, then looks over to Maggie, who awkwardly smiles as a nurse shoves a thermometer into her armpit.

The next few moments are spent with the girls being monitored and tested in various capacities. Dr. Wells explains to Maggie how she ended up here in a manner very similar to Luan, simply slipping into a coma for reasons the doctors still aren't sure.

Parents are called, and they are surely well on their way to visit their daughters.

Finally, there's some time to relax.

"Well ladies, if you'd like, I can move you into your own rooms," Dr. Wells inquires.

"I think we're good," Luan says with a grin.

"Speak for yourself…" Maggie sarcastically quips.

The doctor just smiles and makes his way for the door.

"Well, I'll let you know when your parents arrive. Just give me a call if you need anything."

He shuts the door, leaving the girls to themselves.

And for a moment, they just look out at the beautiful autumn day.

It's Luan who breaks the tension, extending her hand out to Maggie.

She gives her a gleefully surprised expression, and puts her hand in hers.

They don't say a word. They let their awkward, nervous, happy, whatever this unspoken thing is- do all the talking for them.

Maggie carefully slides her fingers in between Luan's, inviting her to interlock fingers.

And she does.

Luan sees a little blue bracelet on her pale wrist, almost just like the one on her own.

She holds their hands up for Maggie to see them too.

"Bonded for life," Luan recalls.

And Maggie just chuckles the most charming and authentic chuckle she's ever seen from a human being.

Then they lose one another in an all too familiar way.

This time, there's nothing holding them back. No Alessa, no monsters, no asthma attacks, no flood, no never ending hallways.

Just two grey eyes gazing into two brown eyes, and a tremendously powerful- "something magical," being shared.

Maggie gives her a look she's never seen from another person before.

A good look.

Her lips begin moving.

"…I think I love-"

Suddenly, Dr. Wells makes his way into the room, and he's joined by two familiar faces.

A tired looking woman with poofy red hair, and a graying man equally sympathetic.

Maggie's mother and stepfather.

And almost exactly like Rita Loud before, the woman can't help but burst into tears seeing her baby girl safe and sound.

"Maggie…"

The girl's eyes water too, and she breaks away from Luan's hand.

"Mom…"

The woman rushes over to her daughter, wrapping her in her arms and squeezing her tight.

"Oh my god…" the woman sobs, all of other words escaping her in this passionate moment.

Even the graying man sheds a tear.

Maggie looks to him, and invites him to join in the embrace.

He doesn't hesitate.

Luan just thankfully watches on.

Then the door opens again.

Rita and Lynn Loud, Sr. enter the room, tearfully smiling.

None of them even say a word, Luan just hops off the bed and into their embrace.

And never was there a more beautiful moment for either family.

* * *

Two more days pass. In that time, the girls are made to exercise, eat frozen ice cups, detail the events leading up to their fugue states, and are even subject to CT scans.

Everyone else is made to endure Luan's insufferable puns.

Dr. Wells even asks the girls if they'd like to discuss their "coma dreams" with a specialist, but they decide to leave the details of their insane experience a shared secret.

At least for now.

When Maggie has her mother and stepfather to herself, she's much more affectionate towards both of them. She even refrains from calling the graying man "step-douche."

As for Luan, she finally gets some one on one time with all of her siblings, and not just Luna and Lori- who managed _not_ to get grounded for their actions during their last family visit.

Of course, Lisa asks for a poop sample, and the twins only share what's going on with themselves.

Lucy's somewhat less insensitive, but still questions the strange illustrations contained in Luan's doodle pad. "I can see why they would DRAW your attention! Maybe we can write a comic," she tells her little sister. "…Sigh."

Maggie is lucky enough to sit in during Leni's turn, and she tells them all about her new clothes and questions them about why they would sleep for so long- as if they really wanted to.

As she leaves the room, Maggie looks to Luan. "Does she- remind you of anyone?"

"Hmmm… Kind of…" Luan playfully answers.

Lincoln and Clyde share some funny videos and the newest memes with the comedian, opening up a can of repressed comic build-up. It gets to the point where Clyde insists he's left something in the oven and must go home, to which Luan tells him, "Aww, I haven't OVEN told you goodbye yet! Hahaha!"

Then it's time for Lynn to take her turn.

While Maggie is busy taking a shower, the thirteen year-old Loud comes in as Luan is watching Tenacious D for only the twenty-billionth time.

"Hey," she coyly says, shutting the door behind her.

Luan turns the TV down, and acknowledges her sister.

"Hey Lynn," she simply says with a smile.

She takes a seat by her bed. "Uhhh… How's it going?" she nervously asks.

"Well, believe it or not, I'm not SICK of this place yet, hahaha! Get it?"

"Ha, good one," Lynn simply replies.

Then there's awkward silence as Lynn rubs the back of her neck.

"So…"

"So…" Luan repeats.

"…Dr. Wells seems cool," Lynn says.

"Yeah. He's treated me WELL, haha."

"I bet he hears a lot of those," Lynn says with a soft grin.

"Ehh he's a ball buster too. Kind of like you. Haha, get it?"

Lynn just halfheartedly smiles again, before things gets quiet… again.

"So, how's things going with you?" Luan asks.

"Uhm, pretty good. I might get to play on the football team if I can get my grades up and gain a little weight."

"Go Roosters," Luan tells her.

She softly chuckles.

"Yeah… I'd get to toss Francisco around some more," she quips.

"Yeah? That's cool," Luan simply says, immediately wishing she had said anything else.

Then it's quiet again, and this time it gets pretty awkward.

"Listen, you don't have to-" Luan begins.

But Lynn just stands up from her chair, groans, and turns around to wipe her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Luan asks.

She sighs. "I'm sorry, okay," Lynn says, facing her sister.

"For what?" Luan asks.

"For being- you know- a bitch."

"…What are you talking about?" Luan asks.

Lynn groans again. "Don't do that. You know what I mean."

"I really don't," Luan refutes.

"…I never acknowledge you at school, I barely talk to you at home, and when I do I'm dogging on you… I feel like shit about it now," she admits.

"You're my sister. You're supposed to do that stuff," Luan contends.

"Yeah- but it's not like that with you and Luna. Or Leni, or Lori, Lincoln…"

She rubs her arm, and looks down to the floor.

"I know it sucks but- it took this happening to you for me to realize, I'm the outcast. I'm not really close with you guys like I should be… Especially you…"

Luan sighs. "…I could make more effort to. I just- I don't know. We're into different stuff..."

She can see that this was a poor choice of words, and changes it up.

"You're not an outcast. You're Lucy's best friend- whether you'll admit it or not, and you and Lincoln are close… You're dad's favorite… Well, second favorite," she jokingly adds, which makes Lynn smile a little.

"My point is- we all love you. And not to be gay, but I love you," she says, blushing.

"I wasn't trying to make this about me," Lynn says. " _My_ point is, what I'm trying to get at- what I'm trying to say is… You know… _That_ …"

"And I missed you…" she adds, looking at Luan now.

And they both smile and blush, and nervously look away from each other before meeting eyes again.

"It's cool Lynn, seriously," Luan insists.

Lynn nods. "Alright, cool. Sorry to get all mushy," she says.

"Me too. Shit splatters when it gets mushy," Luan quips.

Lynn just smiles and looks to the ceiling.

"You ruin everything," she tells her.

"Yeah, so I've been told," she responds.

Lynn sighs, and claps her hands together one time.

"Well… I guess I'll get out of here. Your roomie's probably wanting an excuse to stop talking to Luna," she says, catching Luan by surprise.

"She's talking to Luna? I thought she was in the shower?"

"She was, but when she got out she started talking to Luna about some band called Pisshead. I'm not even kidding."

Luan childishly laughs. "Pisshead…"

"Good talk, sis," Lynn tells her.

"Yeah, good talk," Luan says back, and Lynn waves goodbye as she heads out the door.

 _"I have a strange family…"_

 _"…But I love 'em."_

* * *

Later that day, after all the visitations and treatments and therapies, the girls finally have some time to relax.

So, they decide to go outside for some fresh air.

"I can't believe they're still making me use a wheelchair. You were out longer than me!" Luan complains to Maggie, who rolls her out to the courtyard.

"Yeah, that's what you get for all those Fingerbang jokes," Maggie quips, sitting her by a bench, which she then takes a seat on.

Luan slowly rises from her wheelchair, and takes a seat beside her.

"Well, the joke had LEGS."

Maggie just scolds her for the bad pun with her eyes, then they look out at the view.

It's just the two of them, alone with the green grass, the well-maintained landscaping, the autumn trees and their fallen leaves, and a gentle breeze that compliments the perfect outdoor temperature.

They both sigh at its splendor.

"Feels good to be here," Luan comments.

"Yeah," Maggie simply replies with a smile.

"So what were you and Luna talking about earlier?" Luan asks.

She just smiles some more. "Oh… Just this one girl."

"Oh?" Luan plays along. "Would her initials happen to be LL?"

"Mmm… Let's just say you know her well."

And they're all smiles.

Maggie conflictedly sighs, and nonchalantly wags her head.

"I got you something…" she moans, pulling out a small purple box wrapped with a white bow.

Pleasantly surprised, Luan takes the package.

"…Awh, you do care!"

"Shut up and open it…"

She removes the bow, and opens the lid to the small box.

Inside is a cookie.

But not just any cookie.

Luan lets out a charming chortle, and holds up the makeshift candy corn Oreo.

"That's so awesome! How did you even get these?" she asks.

"I had to ask around. Luna got the candy corn," she confesses.

Luan just smiles, and blushes. "You just might be my new favorite person," she says.

"I'm flattered," Maggie retorts, doing her best to act cool.

Luan splits the cookie in two, and offers half to Maggie.

"Come on," she resists.

"You come on! You're my sidekick! And actually- I might just promote you to partner," she jokes.

Maggie accepts the cookie half.

"Cheers!" Luan says, and they bump cookies.

They each bite into them.

"Oh god…" they both moan simultaneously with mouthfuls of cookie.

"That's the worst thing I've ever tasted," Luan admits.

"Yeah- Oh god- That's disgusting," Maggie adds.

"I'm gonna finish it," Luan asserts as Maggie just makes disgruntled faces and moans.

But they persevere, and finish the darn things.

"Uhm- thanks," Luan sardonically tells her.

"No mention it…"

"But seriously, thanks," Luan adds.

"Yeah, well- thanks for not letting me get killed all those times."

"I'd say we're even."

And the next few moments are spent in quiet solace, looking out at the day.

"Well, I guess we should head back before Wells grills us," Luan says.

Maggie seems to not even hear her.

"Mags?"

"Sometimes, at night- I look out to the stars… and I think of just how small I really am. How big and infinite this universe really is," she confides.

Luan just gives her her attention.

"It always makes me feel alone…" she adds.

"But, sometimes, I don't feel alone. Like, I feel like- maybe someone else is out there, looking up at the stars, thinking the same thing- you know?"

Luan isn't sure what to say.

"Sorry, that sounds really emo," Maggie says with a small chuckle.

"Yeah…" Luan jokingly agrees.

"Do you feel that way now?" she asks, looking right at Maggie.

And she looks back, meeting her perfect brown eyes.

And she looks afraid.

Not the afraid that comes with facing the darkness, or overcoming the towering obstacles.

It's the afraid that comes with suddenly knowing exactly what you want with your life, and worrying you may never have it.

Or worse, lose it forever.

…

"What do you think of me?" she asks Luan.

She's taken back.

 _"What does she mean? What do I say to that?"_

Finally, she finds some words. Maybe they're not the right words, but that's okay.

Because she's suddenly afraid too.

"Seriously?" she utters.

"Seriously," Maggie affirms.

And looking into her perfect grey eyes, the fear slowly subsides, because in them- with her- she knows.

There is nothing to be afraid of.

…

"I think… You're the most amazing and wonderful person I've ever met… And- the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Maggie lights up. Happy, nervous, relieved, terrified- her heart could _explode_.

But that's okay, because Luan feels exactly the same way.

"Really?" Maggie responds. "Even after everything? Everything I put you through? You mean that?"

"I mean it."

She's quivering, and Luan is too.

Whatever this unspoken thing is- it's so intense, and it easily makes them feel the most alive they've ever felt in their entire lives.

And they have each other to share it with.

Luan wraps her arm around Maggie and pulls her in. "Come here…"

And Maggie eases her head onto her shoulder.

"I'm never gonna let you go. We're in this together," Luan swears to her.

And as the autumn day is slowly embraced by the resonating shine of the magical Golden hour; they simply stare in awe, holding on tightly, cherishing every passing second of this wonderful moment.

Together.


	19. Home

**Trick or treat!:D**

 **This is something I've had planned for a while, and I hope you all like reading it as much as I liked writing it. This will officially wrap up this story, and while I'm sad it has to end, I'm looking forward to the future:)**

 **Well... enjoy!**

* * *

It's one of her good days.

"Can you believe this girl?!" Lynn Loud, Sr. says through tears of laughter.

"Haha! Yeah! She's a SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL!" Luan replies following Darci Lynne and Oscar's performance of the eponymous song by Grand Funk Railroad.

The program cuts to commercial, and the father and daughter share another laugh.

"It's real good to have you back, honey," Lynn, Sr. tells her.

"Yeah… It's real good to be back," she says.

He checks out the window, and Luan anxiously does too.

"Is she here?!" she blurts out, and her dad laughs.

"Calm down, kiddo. She said 5:00 right? It's only 4:15."

"Yeah, haha," she nervously chuckles. "But she could show up early."

"Well it's not like you two aren't always texting," he says snidely.

And she hides her phone behind her back just as it vibrates again.

"Haha… I'm just glad I finally get to meet her! After all I've heard so much about her," he tells her, and he gets up to go into the kitchen.

"I just hope she likes Rigatoni…" he mumbles to himself.

Luan checks her phone.

One new text message from Maggie.

 **Maggie: Just not leaving.**

 **Maggie: Now. Stupid autocorrect**

Luan just giddily smiles, trying to contain the butterflies in her stomach.

 **Luan: Okay. See ya in a bit:)**

 **Maggie: NO EMOJI**

It's been five weeks since their awakening at the hospital- five weeks since coming home from Silent Hill.

In that time, there have been lots of little text conversations like these, late night phone calls, and even a movie at the mall. They've sat together at lunch everyday, sometimes alone, sometimes with the Theatre kids, and sometimes with the goth kids. They even joined the Junior Recycling League together. In fact, they've been virtually inseparable.

However, they've yet to go to each other's houses. That changes tonight though, as Maggie has been invited to Casa Loud for Rigatoni night.

Luan gets up, and follows her old man into the kitchen.

He begins preparing his special sauce for tonight's entrée, and Rita Loud enters the room.

"Honey, will you pass the basil?" Lynn, Sr. says to her.

"Sure thing dear," she answers, and she happily does, then gives him a peck on the cheek.

It's been like this since Luan came home; all sorts of smiles and happiness and laughter and frou-frou lovey dovey fantabulousness.

It's almost sickening.

Still, Luan has shamelessly enjoyed things being this way, as well as being pretty much being everyone's favorite.

"Hey, after all that crap I went through, I earned this!" she says out loud, as if someone on the outside is looking in.

She then turns her attention to her smartphone.

 **4:17**

"Nervous?" Rita quips.

"What? No way… I'm fine- great! Uhm, why? Do I look nervous? Am I sweaty?" she sputters, checking her pits for stains.

Her parents just giggle. "Remember when I met your parents?" the dad says to the mom.

"I can hear you," Luan interjects.

"What? Oh, sorry honey. I'll just focus on making my four star Lynn-atoni!"

The ladies are unimpressed by his latest meal trademark.

"We'll work on that later dad," Luan tells him.

Rita comes in close to her daughter, and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, you've got nothing to worry about. I know it's a little intimidating bringing your- _friend_ home… But we're all here for you!"

"Besides, I told your brother and sisters if they messed this up they'd all spend next weekend with Aunt Ruth," she adds.

Luan smiles. "Thanks mom. Wait- I don't have to go to Aunt Ruth's, do I?"

"Only if Maggie doesn't eat my pasta," Lynn, Sr. answers for her.

Luan gulps, and Rita shoots her husband a dirty look, and he wisely starts focusing on his cuisine.

"Why don't you go freshen up a bit. We'll take care of everything else," Rita tells Luan.

"Okay, thanks," Luan happily responds, and she makes her way upstairs.

" _Alright, time to take tabs on everybody and make sure they're not being too LOUD."_

First stop, Lucy and Lynn's room. No one appears to be inside. _"That's either a good thing or a bad thing…"_

Next, Lisa and Lily's room. Lisa is working on some sort of new contraption, as usual, and Lily is elsewhere.

She tries to sneak out before Lisa can notice her.

"Sibling!" she says with her lisp.

" _Almost…"_

"Oh, hey. What's up Lis?" Luan casually says.

"Might I make an inquiry about your confidant Margaret?" the little genius asks.

"Sure. SPIT it out! Hahaha!"

"Do you know if she cleans her ear canals with short rods of dueled ended cotton swabs? Street name: Q Tips?"

"Uhm… Why would you need to know that?" Luan says with a small chuckle.

Lisa wickedly smiles. "…No reason."

Luan just slowly exits the room, and hurriedly slams the door shut as Lisa tries to say: "Hey wait! Any chance I could get you to collect a cerumen sample?!"

" _Note to self… Sleep with ear muffs."_

She hangs a left for Lincoln's small bedroom. Inside, she can see Lynn and Clyde playing the latest WWE game as Lincoln impatiently watches.

"When's it gonna be my turn?" he asks.

Clyde and Lynn both shush him.

"Just wait. I'll have him in the Walls of Jericho in no time, and he'll be tapping!" Lynn boasts.

"Oh yeah? Not if I don't connect with a vicious Pedigree and pin you- one, two, three!" Clyde fires back.

Luan laughs under her breath as she composes a new joke.

"Don't worry Lincoln. I'm sure they won't give you too much of the RING around! Haha, get it?"

He just huffs as the other two continue their game, and Luan turns into the twins' room.

Lola and Lana are in the middle of a tea party with Lola's "friends."

"So my new boyfriend- _Prince William_ , bought me this fabulous new tiara to go with my new dress. Anywho, how are you Dutchess Lana?" Lola asks her twin sister.

"Uhh- this morning I was scratching my butt while brushing my teeth, and I accidently dropped the toothpaste in the toilet. So I reached in there and-"

"Eww Lana! You're not playing right!" Lola screeches.

"I don't even know what a Dutchess is?!" Lana says, pronouncing it "dooch-ess."

Luan just quivers, remembering having to place her hand in the toilet from the never ending hallway, and turns to leave.

Of course, they notice her.

"Luan, tell Lana she's being uncivilized!" Lola hollers.

"Luan, tell Lola she's being a turd!" Lana rebuts.

"Haha guys," Luan anxiously chuckles, "Why don't you just play something else?"

"We're having fun," both girls casually respond.

"Hey! Go get Mr. Coconuts and we can all play together!" Lola suggests.

"Well I WOOD Lola, but I'm expecting company, remember?" Luan says with a smile.

"Fine! Don't play with us! We'll just- LANA!"

Unsurprisingly, Lana is scratching her butt with a tea cup.

"What?! It's got grooves?!" she attempts to rationalize.

As they incoherently bicker, Luan composes another pun.

"GROOVY stuff Lana, haha! Well, I'm getting my BUTT out of here, don't go TEA-ing off Lola! Hahaha!"

Next, Leni and Lori's room on the other side of the hall. Inside, the oldest Loud sister is talking about Dana and Whitney getting into a fight while Leni fits Lily for an adorable panda-esque outfit.

Of all her sisters, these are the three that least worry her in terms of meddling when Maggie comes over. Lori may be the most judgmental of course, only second to Lola, but she could care less about that.

" _As long as they stay away from her while she's here."_

Seeing that the older girls are preoccupied, she creeps in to make a silly face for baby Lily, who smiles and laughs, and she makes her way out before they can even say anything to her.

Finally, she goes into her own bedroom, where Lucy and Luna are apparently collaborating for a new song.

"Yeah, that's the stuff! Sick lyrics Luc, but do we have to have so much misery and blood?" she asks.

"Sigh… I suppose not everyone sees things for the miserable oblivion they are as I do. I'll work on it," the gothic girl dejectedly responds.

They see Luan.

"Just hold on loosely Lucy. I gotta gab with funny girl here for a minute," the rocker tells her politely.

"Fine… I guess I'll go rest in my coffin until you need me… Or until the sweet embrace of death comes," Lucy says as walks towards the door.

"Oh, hi Luan," she casually says, and she leaves.

"I'll wait for you here like a stone, dude!" Luna hollers.

"Yeah, then you can ROCK some more! Haha, get it?!" Luan adds.

"Sigh…" they hear from outside.

They share a small laugh.

"What's up chicken butt?" Luna asks.

"Not much butt munch," Luan playfully retorts. "Just came in here to get my brush."

"Ahh cool, cool. Little last minute gussy up for your date?" Luna quips.

"Ha- Jelly?" Luan responds, finding her brush.

"There's no way I'm bringin' my girl around these crazy people! You're nuts!" Luna says. "But speaking of- maybe you could BRUSH up on your thing one last time?" she insinuates.

"Oh, I don't know if I'll do that today," Luan says as she brushes in front of their mirror. "But I think I've got my transitions down."

"Alright dude. But if you wanna run it by me one more time, I'm here."

"Thanks Luna. But please try to make yourself scarce when Maggie gets here. I'd like for us to have a little ROOM to ourselves, haha! But seriously…"

"Don't worry. I'll leave you guys alone. Just promise me you won't do anything in my bed," she snarkily adds.

"O-kay- On that note… Haha! NOTE- Get it?!"

"Ugh… I get it. And I'm gone," Luna says, and she makes her way out the door.

When she's certain her older sister won't return, she lets out a sigh of relief. She does a double take to make sure no one's around, and she hurries over to her dresser.

She pulls out Mr. Coconuts.

"I guess I'll take a quick joke break before she gets here," she tells herself, and she sneaks out to the back yard.

Luan makes it to the backyard without any further sister shenanigans.

She once again does a double take to make sure no one is looking, and when she's certain she's in the clear, she pulls out her dummy.

She deeply inhales, and exhales.

"This is real bad habit you got toots," the dummy says.

I mean- she _has_ it say.

She looks at her little wooden friend and lets out a cough.

"What? Can't handle it? I thought you were cool," she has him taunt.

"Can it Coco butter! Ugh… I don't know why I did this. Luna's right! I'm crazy to bring Maggie home to these people!"

"Har Har Har! You said it, not me!"

"Oh hush up would you?! ACHOO!" she says with a sneeze.

"Dang allergies…"

"Bless you."

"Oh, thank you."

"I didn't realize you're allergic to COCONUTS."

"No, maybe it's SPF! Hahaha!"

"Hey!"

In the midst of their- "conversation," she hears and sees a white sedan enter the driveway.

Her phone vibrates, and it's Maggie.

 **Maggie: Here**

"Coconuts!" they both cry in unison.

" _Dang. I'm getting good at this! Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"_

Regardless, she quickly makes her way inside to prepare for Rigatoni with Maggie.

Inside the white sedan are Maggie, her mother with red poofy hair, and her graying stepfather.

Sitting in the back seat, the girl with purple boots wears her anxiety on her sleeve.

Her parents look back, and everyone takes a deep breath.

"You gonna be okay?" her stepdad asks.

Her mom looks at him like he said something wrong, to which he defensively shrugs.

"I'm good," the girl simply says.

"Are you car sick?" mom asks.

"No."

"…You're- doing better. I mean, about driving," she adds, and it's now the stepfather who shoots a look.

"Thanks. I'm fine. Just a little nervous, honestly."

"Well, we're proud of you. I just wanted you to know that," mom says with a smile.

"For what?" Maggie dubiously asks.

"Just- for everything."

Maggie softly smiles back.

Inside the house, the Loud parents stop prepping the Rigatoni to peek outside the window.

"It's her! How do I look?" Rita asks her husband.

"Great! How do I smell?" Lynn, Sr. asks his wife.

She takes a whiff, and grimaces.

"Ehh… Good enough?"

Luan makes her way through the back door, minding Mr. Coconuts.

"Luan! Maggie's here!" Rita shouts from the kitchen.

"Poop!" she curses, and she looks for a hiding spot for her dummy.

She places him in the nearest armoire. "Hey! This is my aunt Petunia!" he shouts.

"Sorry big guy, gotta ease into the ventriloquist act with Mags," Luan reasons, before enclosing him.

She has him make murmuring noises, than stops herself. "Snap out of it Luan!"

"Luan?" her father worriedly says as he and Rita come to the front door.

She nervously laughs. "Coming."

The doorbell rings.

" _Here we go,"_ both girls think to themselves, doing a little last second gussying up.

The Louds open the door, and greet their visitors with a "Hiiiiiiii!"

The adults pretentiously shake hands and exchange names and hokey smiles, and Maggie and Luan just shyly wave to one another.

"Go on in kids, we'll be outside," Lynn, Sr. says as they make their way out.

"Call me tonight! I love you!" Maggie's mom adds.

The door closes.

Maggie face palms, humiliated, and Luan lets out a small chuckle.

"Make sure you call her," she snidely repeats.

Maggie just looks up to her, and they share a nervous laugh.

"So, this is my house," Luan says as she anxiously rubs her arm.

"Yeah…" Maggie simply repeats. "...It's nice."

"Thanks…"

" _Oh my god Luan. Stop being so awkward!"_

"Uhm, Lu?"

"Yeah?"

"I have to tell you something," Maggie nervously says.

"Uhm… Okay? What's up?"

"I… have to pee…"

"Oh. Okay? Uhm, okay…" she says with nervous laughter.

"Luan?" Maggie sternly says.

"Huh?"

"Where's your bathroom?"

"Oh. Uhm- Bathroom's upstairs, down the hall to the far left. Jeez, you just got here and you're already telling me to PISS off? Hahaha!"

"Lame," Maggie says with a smile.

Luan just idiotically laughs, and waits for her to disappear up the stairs.

When she's out of sight, Luan frantically rushes over to the armoire and pulls Mr. Coconuts out.

She has him take a deep breath, as if he was suffocating in there.

"Oh stop being so dramatic," she whispers to him.

"I WILL END YOUR LIFE!" she hears one of her sisters yell from upstairs.

"Oh no…"

She rushes up and gets halfway up the steps before remembering she has Mr. Coconuts.

"Dang it!"

She hurries back down to the armoire.

"Hey! What do ya think you're doin' you crazy-?" the dummy hollers as she stuffs him back in.

Back up the stairs, things are quiet.

Too quiet.

"Okay, who was it?" she says to herself, and she makes her way down the hall.

The bathroom door is open, and Maggie's not in there.

" _Oh no!"_

She rushes over, and sees that Maggie is in Lori and Leni's bedroom.

"She's literally an autumn. That scarf is totally her color," Lori comments as Leni drapes a dark purple scarf over a confused looking Maggie's neck.

"Totes! Hold on! Let me get the jacket!" Leni adds.

"Leni!" Luan whines.

"Oh, sorry Luan… I'll go get the vest!"

"No Leni, she means stop having her be your runway model," Lori explains, taking the scarf off of Maggie.

"…She'd much rather hear about what happened with Dana and Whitney. Okay! So Dana was talking to Hayden, and Whitney literally-"

Luan forcefully interjects, grabbing Maggie by the shoulders. "Thanks guys, but Maggie's _my_ guest," she proclaims, and she whisks her out of their room.

Lily just coos and laughs as she watches it all.

Out in the hall, Maggie still wears a confused look on her face, and Luan still territorially holds on to her.

"Uhm… Luan… You're hurting me," she remarks.

"Oh! Sorry! Haha…"

"Did you even pee?"

"Uhm… I'm a quick pee-er?"

"Haha, you're like a WIZ I take it?!" Luan jokes.

Maggie dawns her trademark frown as Luan idiotically laughs at her own joke.

"Hahaha! Oh man, that was a good one! Hahaha… Maggie?"

The girl is gone again.

"Oh what now?" Luan asks herself.

She checks her own room, and sees Maggie admiring Luna's drum solo.

" _Well… Almost safe, I guess._ "

Luan calmly approaches the two.

She clears her throat once, and Luna doesn't hear it. She does again, a little louder, and she still can't hear her.

"Luna!" she finally shouts, and her sister stops rockin'.

She clears her throat again, this time to say: _"Get out of here!"_

"Right…" Luna says with a smile and a finger gun. "I guess I'll go to the garage for no reason at all… Keep the door open girls," she quips on her way out.

Luan shoots her a glare, but it's ignored. Either way, at least she's gone.

"Phew…" she says, then she nervously laughs at Maggie, who just rolls her eyes and crosses her arms with a half grin.

"So, this is your room?" she asks, pacing around and looking at her things.

"Yeah. This is where a lot of comedy gold is born," she proudly states.

"Yes. 'Gold'…" Maggie mocks.

"GIVE HIM TO ME!" "NO HE"S MINE!"

" _They have him…"_ Luan thinks to herself. _"I was so close, too."_

"Uhm, would you excuse me a second? Just wait here," Luan tells Maggie, and she darts out the door before she can even ask for an explanation.

She rushes to the twins' room, and lo and behold, Mr. Coconuts is caught in the middle of a tug o' war between the two six year-olds.

"Glad to see I have so much PULL, har har har," she has the dummy joke.

"If you don't let him go, I'll stick poop in your pillow!" Lana threatens Lola.

"Oh yeah, like you'd really poop in my pillow," Lola responds.

"I didn't say it'd be my poop… It'll be Charles'!"

Outside the door just behind Luan, the small white dog whimpers before running away.

The girls continue their battle, and Luan steps in.

"Give me the dummy and you get passes come Fool's day," she lethargically offers.

They immediately drop Mr. Coconuts, conveying genuine surprise on their faces.

She simply picks him up and makes her way out the room.

"Who you calling dummy?" she has Mr. C say.

"Not now," she simply tells him- it… herself?

"She's committed," Lola says, impressed.

"Seriously dude, what's a dutchess?" Lana asks, again pronouncing it wrong.

Back in the hall, Luan is caught off guard by a very sneaky Maggie.

"Yeesh!" she blurts out, quickly stuffing Mr. Coconuts in her shirt.

Maggie just gives her a confused look. "Are you good?" she asks.

"Me? Good? HA! I'm terrific! If I was any better they'd clone me! Hahaha!"

She just awkwardly forces a smile, and Maggie shrugs.

"When is dinner gonna be ready?" she casually asks as Luan inches closer to flat lining.

"Uhm… I don't know, I'll go check! Just- stay here!" she says, hurrying towards her room.

"ACHOO! Bless you. Thank you," she says alternating between herself and Mr. Coconuts.

She gets to her sanctuary, and hurriedly takes the dummy out of her shirt.

"You will _never_ speak of this!" she firmly orders.

"Har har har! Thanks for a peek at the goods, toots! Or should I say- TITS?! Har har har!"

"I swear on Lisa's extra toe I will put you in the fire pit if you say one more word!"

With that, she shoves him in the dresser drawer, and heads back out into the hallway, but not before sneezing all over the place.

" _Well that's special,"_ she thinks to herself.

Outside, Maggie has come face to face with someone very much like her in many ways.

Not so much eye to eye, considering Lucy's are concealed by her black bangs.

"Hey," Lucy simply says with a blank expression.

"Hi," Maggie simply says with a blank expression.

And Lucy just makes her way past her.

" _That could've been worse,"_ Luan thinks, heading over to her guest.

"Haha, that's Lucy. She's a socialite like yourself," she happily says, booping her nose.

Maggie smiles, she loves nose boops. But it's kind of ruined when Luan sneezes again.

Luckily, she covers her mouth, not getting any on Maggie.

Still… It's gross.

"Uhm, do you need a tissue or something?" she disgustedly suggests.

"Haha," Luan chuckles with watery eyes and snot dripping from her nose. "Maggie NOSE best. I'm sneezing POLLEN over the place. I- I- I- ACHOO!"

"…Yeah I'm gonna go wash up…"

"You do that," Maggie says with a small laugh.

In the restroom, Luan washes her face and takes a puff of Albuterol for good measure.

"Pull it together, Loud!" she hears Lynn shout, just as she is about to tell herself the same thing.

In the middle of the hall, her sister is doing push-ups and mumbling to herself.

"Lynn? What're you doing?"

"Ugh- Clyde beat me- Ugh- He was Brock Lesnar! Ugh- Gonna beat him next time- Ugh…"

"So… have you seen Maggie?"

"Huh? Oh- Right- She's- Ugh- With those two- Ugh…"

"Alright, that's not too bad. What's the worst Lincoln and Clyde can do?" she thinks aloud.

She makes her way in that direction, then stops.

"Oh, and take it easy. Go too hard and you'll be PUSHING UP daisies! Hahaha!"

She gets outside Lincoln's doorway.

Inside his room, the boys are shouting about stuffing certain appendages in certain other body parts, and Maggie is trying to casually sit and watch.

Try anyway- Lisa is shining a flashlight in her ear. "Fascinating!" she says with her lisp.

"Luan," Maggie worriedly says.

Lori walks by texting, takes a glimpse in, and continues along.

"L- L- Lori!" Clyde blurts out, and begins malfunctioning like a robot while spewing blood from his nose.

"Luan-" Maggie worriedly repeats.

Luan grabs Lisa by the wrist and yanks her up to her eye level.

The prodigy just nervously smiles, and she puts her down so she can scurry away.

"I should have the results in 48 hours!" she hollers from outside.

"Come on, let's get out of here before something else can go wrong," Luan says, helping a stunned Maggie to her feet.

They make their way to Luan's bedroom.

"Wow, uhm… This is…" Maggie starts to say.

"KIDS! DINNER TIME!" Lynn, Sr. calls from downstairs.

And right on cue, the girls can hear the trampling of feet from every room.

" _Dang it…"_

Downstairs, all fifteen occupants of the residence take turns getting a helping of Lynn, Sr.'s Rigatoni.

It actually goes smoothly for the most part, but Luan hardly has the luxury of private conversation with her best friend around everyone else.

They just sort of awkwardly look at each other and smile until they've sat down at the grown-up table, side by side of course.

Maggie carefully rests her hand on Luan's for a moment, just to let her know things are alright, and they share a smile.

"Alright everybody dig in!" Rita declares, and no one hesitates.

Lynn Loud, Sr. makes some darn good Rigatoni.

So maybe that's why everyone is so quiet, or maybe it's something else.

It probably has nothing to do with the new guest that they all know virtually nothing about. Probably.

"So, how is it, Maggie?" Lynn, Sr. asks.

"It's good. Thanks," she simply says.

Then silence.

"It's nice to finally have you over. Luan's told us a lot about you," Rita says.

And Luan shoots her a deathly serious glare.

"I mean, not a lot. Just, you know? Aha!... Uhm… This is great dear," she says, stuffing a forkful of pasta in her mouth.

More silence.

" _You could cut the tension with a KNIFE! Hahaha… Get it?! Like silverware?... Oh god this is awkward…"_

Finally, Lynn speaks up.

"So… You like sports Maggie?" she asks with an uneasy smile.

Everyone clams up, and Maggie looks at her with blatant disgust.

" _Oh no… God no…"_ Luan just thinks to herself.

"Are you kidding me?" Maggie retorts.

And boy, does the tension reach fever pitch.

…

"I _worship_ the Lions," Maggie reveals, and everyone sighs of relief.

Especially Luan, who came drastically close to kicking her oxygen habit.

Lynn smiles wide. "Dude! No way! Did you watch the game Monday?"

"Heck yeah! Stafford's my guy!" Maggie excitedly says, before she notices Luan guffawing at her like a shmuck, and she tries to tone it down. "I mean- he's alright," she says in the least impressed way possible.

"Oh man, that sixty yard pass! That was wicked cool!" Lynn adds.

"Alright- settle down Lynn," the original Lynn tells her.

"So Lori, tell us about Dana and Whitney," he says, happily changing the subject.

She proceeds to elaborate on the drama, and everyone goes back to enjoying their hot meal with the proverbial monkey off their backs.

Luan smiles at Maggie, and she smiles back.

" _She's a keeper."_

The rest of dinner goes by with some stories about Lori's friends, a root canal gone wrong at Rita's work, Luna's upcoming gig at Banger's & Mosh, and Luan is able to throw some good puns in about banana peels and Batman.

Everyone washes up, and it takes Maggie a bit to get up from her seat. "My pants fit better," she comments without even trying to hide how bloated she is.

And finally, it seems like Luan may have Maggie to herself, because Rita lets those two skip out on clean up since it's the latter's first visit.

She smiles and winks at her daughter, and Luan displays her gratitude with a smile back before rushing up to her bedroom.

"Man, I wish step douche, I mean- _Joel_ , could cook like that," Maggie comments as they get up to the second floor.

"Yeah, the old man can cook. Just don't bring up cowbells around him…"

"I'll try to keep that in mind," she responds, and they laugh.

It really wasn't even that funny, they're just really happy to be together.

They get inside the bedroom, and gently shut the door.

"I like your set-up," Maggie compliments.

"Yeah, you too," Luan says, forgetting that she's already seen Maggie's room in Otherworld.

"What?" she questions, and Luan quickly devises a bullshit response.

"Uhm- I mean, your set-up! Like, nice boobs Mags! These little ol' things aren't much to brag about," she jokes, referring to her own bosom.

"Uhm, wow," she simply replies, her cheeks turning red.

Luan just laughs.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Luan says, somewhat flirtingly.

"Uhm… Haha… I don't know. What'd you have in mind?" Maggie nervously, excitedly asks.

They just giggle as they come closer to one another.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Many choice words rush through Luan's mind as she answers the door.

It's Clyde and Lincoln, smiling wide, totally unsuspicious smiles.

"Ugh… Guys! Can't this wait!" Luan growls.

"Uhm, well, you see, uhm," the boys stammer.

"Guys!"

They straighten up.

"We were wondering, since Maggie's here and all-" Lincoln begins.

"We were wondering if you'd finally tell us about the stuff you dreamed about when you were in a coma?" Clyde asks.

She just curiously looks at them. She didn't expect this.

Lincoln elbows Clyde.

"Sorry, that sounded kind of rude," Clyde nervously apologizes.

Luan looks back at Maggie, who shrugs as if to say: _"Why not?"_

And she looks back at the boys.

"Alright guys, pop a squat fellas!" she tells them, and they take a seat on her floor.

She sits on the bed by Maggie, who just adorably smiles and blushes and preens her hair and- _"Oh god she's so cute!"_

She takes a deep breath, and puts on her game face.

"So… It all started in a prison. I was locked in a cell- with no recollection of how I got there. Suddenly, I hear this noise coming from outside the door, and this goofy looking emo chick breaks through!"

She stops to see if Maggie is paying attention. She's not amused at the remark.

"Haha! JK guys. She was actually kind of cute."

Lincoln and Clyde look at one another. "Bluck!" they both blurt out, and Luan just laughs as Maggie shakes her head.

"Anyway, we ate like, four hundred peaches, and-"

"Hey, wait a second," Maggie interrupts.

"It was actually _me_ who ate all those peaches. You ate _one_ can."

"Yes, but I bare the FRUITS of wisdom! Hahaha!"

"Hey wait, isn't this Luan's dream? How would you know that?" Lincoln asks.

And they clam up.

"Uhm, she's told me a bunch of times?" Maggie just says.

"I get that," Clyde says with a shrug, and they return to listening.

Lynn and Lucy overhear the commotion, and stop outside the door.

"So, we had to do this stupid puzzle to get this big door open, and then it locked us out. We heard these- sickening noises coming from the basement, and we went down below…"

"Then we saw him…" Luan says, building up the suspense. "The Pyramid Head!" she shouts, and Lincoln and Clyde anxiously perk up.

"He had this big red metal helmet, and this huge knife. He was carrying this body, and we heard him chopping it to pieces!" she animatedly explains, exaggerating just a little.

"Was there blood?" Lucy asks.

Luan acknowledges her. "Oh yes Lucy. There was blood!" she says with a wicked grin.

And everyone is kind of creeped out.

"Okay, chill out. It gets better," Luan insists.

"So, we run away from the guy, and he has us cornered in this cellar. He's just about to slice us in half with his blade, when I shoot lasers at him!"

"Lasers?" Lynn interrupts. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Maggie answers for her, smiling.

"Yeah, out of the palms of my hands," Luan continues.

Now Lori and Leni make their way up.

"So I blacked out, and when I came to, I was in Silent Hill. I walked around looking for Maggie, and that's when I saw the first Alien."

Maggie frowns. As if to say: _"Will you drop it?!"_

"What are you talking about?" Lori asks, and the others shush her.

"I'm glad you asked. The Aliens were like these zombie people with these big swollen things on their backs- like slugs almost. They were under evil Alessa's control… But I'm getting ahead of myself…"

"Anyway, I find Mags, and we stick and move on these fools all through Silent Hill. It was a piece of cake," she brags.

"Yeah, until you nearly died from your asthma attacks," Maggie recalls, somewhat somberly.

"Yeah, but I had my loyal sidekick to save me," she says, resting a hand on Maggie's thigh.

It takes everything the other girls have not to blurt out "Awwwwh!"

"Tell them about Bady," Maggie says, stubbornly removing Luan's hand.

"Oh! Right!"

"Who's Bady?" Leni asks.

By now, the twins have made their way up too.

"Hmmm… She was this really smart, really stylish girl we met," Luan explains.

"Like someone else I know, haha!" Leni sardonically chimes in, and everyone groans.

"Yeah, but she ditched us for shoes!" Luan elaborates.

"They _were_ nice shoes though," Maggie says with a grin.

"Does this story have princesses?" Lola asks.

"Or toilets?" Lana adds.

"Yes and yes!" Luan answers. "Two princesses, and a wicked witch actually. And one toilet I had planned on never speaking of again. But what the heck? Gotta give the people what they want!" Luan says.

She continues her story as Lisa, Luna, Rita, Lynn, Sr. and baby Lily all make their up to get in on listening.

She tells them how she came to Maggie's rescue at the hospital, leaving out the stuff where Maggie had a breakdown over the truck and her experience with her father.

She talks about how at the mall, they tried on their cosplay outfits and "shopped" at Halloweenie's. Maggie smiles the whole time, remembering just how fun it was.

Luan does too, of course.

Then she tells them about her episode, and how it was Maggie's mouth to mouth that saved her. The little kids, Clyde, and Lincoln groan; and the others "Awhhhh" so clichély. Lucy just sighs, but it's a good sigh.

Then, they get to the edge of their metaphorical seats as she details how Alessa lured them into the otherworld, and how Maggie was her hostage as she blasted her way through the school and the amusement park to get to her.

Of course, Lana totally marks out when she explains how she had to stick her hand in a commode full of doody feces.

She tells them about the mannequin Louds, Robbie Rabbit, and Alessa cosplaying as herself.

She also tells them how Bady came back to save her, was possessed, and Luan then saved her. Leni reacts accordingly to these parts.

Finally, she tells them how she made her way to the Lakeview Hotel to save her best friend, and how they nearly drowned fighting to survive.

She even tells the coffin joke again, and everyone actually laughs.

When they've simmered down, she tells them how she and Maggie blasted Alessa with the Aglaophotis, "The Red Stuff," and stopped her evil ways for good.

She leaves out the stuff about the otherworld, and nearly being drove to suicidal insanity, because she decides it doesn't matter. She has all of her loved ones right here, and that's what matters.

She reaches the end of her story.

"So, after we stopped Alessa, Bady comes back and tells us the only way to leave Silent Hill is to sing Fahoo Fores."

"Really?" Lynn, Sr. asks.

"Hahaha! No, we just held hands and waited for Bady to work her magic, and next thing I know, I was awake."

Everyone is enthralled. It's the greatest story any of them has ever heard. They actually applaud, even Lucy.

"I can't believe all that stuff actually happened!" Bady exclaims.

Everyone laughs at her, but she doesn't take exception.

"It was just a dream Leni, don't be ridiculous," Lori says.

Luan and Maggie just share a nonchalant look.

"Well gang, I think we've bothered Luan and her friend enough tonight," Lynn, Sr. says.

Everyone groans.

"Now come on kids, she's Luan's guest. Give them some space," Rita adds.

They all groan some more, but disperse nonetheless.

"Man, I can only imagine what Maggie's dream was like," Lana remarks.

"I need to conduct more research on the REM cycles of comatose patients, and possibly the consequences of lodging one's hands in unfamiliar toilets…" Lisa thinks aloud.

It seems like Luan may finally have Maggie to herself, but that isn't the case.

It's Luna's room, too after all.

Luan just kind of looks at her, hoping she'll take the hint.

"Oh! Right…" she says with a familiar smile and finger gun. "You uh… need any last minute rehearsal?" she asks under her breath.

"Just go!" Luan orders, shoving her out the door and slamming it shut.

Finally, she has Maggie to herself.

It sure took long enough: between monsters, fogs, never ending hallways, talking trees, and ten siblings. It feels good to just finally have Maggie and her perfect grey eyes all to herself.

"Man, I thought they'd never leave… So, where were we before all that?" Luan says with a smile.

She turns around, and sees Maggie facing her dresser.

"Uhm, what the heck?" she says.

Mr. Coconut's arm is hanging out of the drawer Luan shoved him in.

"Uhm, that's nothing! Just uhm- Uhm…"

Maggie just raises a brow.

But Luan decides not to put it off any longer. Sooner or later, she'll have to make his acquaintance.

So, she pulls the dummy out of the dresser.

"Maggie, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of mine," she begins.

She just curiously watches as Luan positions him on her hand, and smiles.

"Hey ya, toots!" she has him say.

Her face says it all.

"So Mr. Coconuts, I heard you ate clownfish the other day," she says to him.

"Yeah, and I tell you what, it sure tasted FUNNY."

Maggie lets out a genuine laugh. Not like she thinks Luan is a complete idiot, more like the act is actually humorous.

Luan smiles, realizing she's not completely turned off.

"You hear that Mr. C? I have a fan."

"Cool, one more fan… She did have ZERO," she has the dummy say, and Maggie continues laughing.

"Hey! That's not fair! You know, I don't need a puppet to be funny," she tells the dummy.

"You're not funny WITH a puppet."

"Hey!"

She continues bantering with her wooden friend, and Maggie slowly stops laughing.

At some point, it just gets weird.

"So you're saying you've never drank in your life?" she has Mr. Coconuts say.

"Yes. Alcohol has never touched my lips."

"…Then why the hell are you talking to a puppet?"

"Hahahahaha! Aha… Aha…"

She stops laughing, and sees Maggie just staring at her.

"Too much?" she asks with a nervous smile.

"Too much," Maggie says, letting her down easy.

Luan doesn't take it to heart. "Alright Mr. Coconuts. I guess it's time to call it a night," she says.

"A night? I thought its name was Maggie?"

And with that, she puts the dummy away.

Then there's some awkward post-ventriloquism-act silence.

They just nervously fidget around a bit before Maggie takes a seat on Luan's bed.

"Your family is…" she begins, but she stops, as if to find the right words.

"I know, Loud," Luan answers for her. She's heard it all before- the good and the bad. But really, Loud _is_ the best way to describe them.

After all, it makes for some pretty good pun-pportunities.

"Actually… I was gonna say, they're nice," Maggie explains with a soft grin.

Luan smiles, and takes a seat by her.

And as they sit there together, they're absolved of their fears and insecurities. What was there ever to really be afraid of? They've been through it all.

Still, they feel so many things around one another. Good things, weird things…

"Bonded for life," Maggie says.

"What?" Luan utters.

Maggie picks up the blue hospital bracelet off Luan's dresser to show it off, then puts it back down.

"Oh, you know it," Luan simply says.

" _Am I supposed to be this nervous?"_

Luan Loud may be her own worst enemy, but Maggie is possibly her greatest ally.

She paces over to Luna's acoustic guitar and gives its strings a light strum.

" _I can make this work,"_ Luan gladly thinks.

Maggie looks back and smiles at Luan.

"I always wanted to learn how to play… Maybe Luna would teach me?"

Luan just stands up, and grabs her by the hand.

"I have a surprise for you," she happily reveals.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, sit down," Luan instructs, maneuvering her to the bed. "Close your eyes, and don't peek!"

"Alright, whatever," she says with a small chuckle.

Luan rolls her desk chair over, and quietly grabs the guitar. She creeps over to the chair and takes a seat, doing her best to keep the box from making any noise.

She places her fingers in a D major shape, and takes a deep breath.

She starts strumming.

"Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you…"

Maggie opens her eyes, and can't help but wear her heart on her sleeve. She's loving this.

Luan continues her serenade, and actually does pretty damn good. She doesn't mess up any words or chords, and is even able to make eye contact with Maggie while she plays.

Something about those eyes makes everything so easy. In her, all things are possible.

"You stole my heart, but I love you anyway…"

She stops, and puts the guitar to the side. And Maggie just blushes and smiles, which makes Luan just blush and smile.

"Well, what'd you think?" Luan finally asks as she stands up.

Maggie jumps off the bed and wraps her arms around her. "It was perfect. You're perfect."

She lets go and grabs her by the hands, and just stares into her deep brown eyes.

Everything is just right.

"AWWWWHHHH!" they both hear from outside.

Luan pouts, and Maggie hides a small giggle.

She trudges to the door, and swings it open.

Outside, all of her loved ones are standing outside. They all quickly try to act casual, which for Lana is scooting on her butt like the dog.

Luan just shoots them all a glare, and they disperse.

She shuts the door again.

"Sorry about that. They just-"

"It's okay," Maggie cuts her off, and she grabs her by the hand again.

Then she stares into her eyes.

She pulls her in.

And she kisses her.

They lose one another sucking face for a little while, but they finally ease up.

"Wow…" Luan says.

"Yeah…" Maggie simply says.

"So… Wanna go outside and mess around?" Maggie asks.

"Mess around outside? There's a perfectly good bed right here!" Luan quips.

Maggie just laughs. "Shut up," she affectionately tells her, and they make for the door.

"Hey, you go on ahead. I gotta grab something real quick," Luan tells her.

"Alright, sure," Maggie simply says, and she makes her way through the door.

Luan checks to make sure she's in the clear, then goes over to the dresser.

She pulls out Mr. Coconuts.

"Score!" she quietly gloats, slapping five with the dummy.

She turns around to see Maggie is back.

"You're an idiot…" she says with a smile.

"Yeah," Luan simply says back, and they walk hand in hand out the door.

THE END


	20. Afterward

Hey there. It's your friend Pillow. How you been? Did that rash go away?

Before we get started, listen to **"On Melancholy Hill" by Gorillaz.** That song wraps up all of my sentimentality better than my pretentious long winded notes ever will.

This is a very special day for me, because, **one year ago today,** I published the first chapter for this story, cementing my place in this fandom. A lot of things have happened since then. I've met some really great people, read some excellent stories, and have been blessed to be able to share more of my works with this great fandom. Sure we do some screwed up stuff on the booru, and sure we might fight over who the worst sister is and whether or not sinkids are real characters (they're not. ;-;), but at the end of the day, we're all in this wild ride together.

I'm not one to dwell on the past, but I did want to take some time to think about how much this all means to me before addressing the future of the Pillow workshop.

First of all, I have to throw a shoutout to my good noodles **dragonfan810** and **Heitomos.** If it weren't for you two… I could be writing Horizon Zero Dawn fiction right now. Ewwwwww. You two made writing Wanderers even more fun than it already was with your continuous feedback, and I can't thank you guys enough, assuming you're reading this.

That's not to say that I don't appreciate the rest of you reading this now. I'm sure I know your name, and hopefully I've made it clear just how much your support means to me, but in case I haven't, thanks so much.

I also want to give a shout out to **BoglinAbbey (aka BunnyAbsentia), Coyote Rom, TheFreshKnight,** and **Parasomnico.** They are all the reason I decided to write Wanderers in the first place. I loved nothing more than looking up all the Luaggie fan art while listening to Life is Strange music and just… getting lost. I really love these characters, even to this day.

I could honestly go on and on about how I got here and how much it means to me, but hey… You've probably got better things to do.

That being said, **here's some updates going forward.**

Much like Wanderers, I will be going back and "remastering" **Luna is Strange** and **Carol Likes Luna** for their one year anniversaries. Assuming I don't die, I mean. I always gotta throw that out there cuz… You never know :X  
So mark **October 23** and **January 27** on your calendars. That's when those fun things will happen.

Other than that, I finished **For The Love of Raven** if you like Teen Titans or just want some more Pillowy girl fluff, and I do plan on eventually wrapping up **Switching Teams.** It's just one of those things where, I say I'm gonna get on it, and then I come up with another idea to start and then not finish XD. I also have a new Linka/Girl Jordan fic I've actually finished by the grace of god, **Things Change,** and will work on posting that chapter by chapter starting today.

After that, no promises. I'll go wherever the wind takes me, like maybe reading Requiem or Live House like everyone yells at me to do. (I don't see why. My work is the best in the fandom information desk person emoji).

…

I've probably rambled enough (until I get to Luna again kek), so for now, I'll say one last time: thank you guys for everything you've done for me over the last year.

In fact, screw it, let's do shout outs for everyone.

 **NickTheLoudIrken/IrkenArtist, Hatoralo, meowloudly15, The gamemann, lttlgreg, StolenMemes77, Invader Johnny, elmago02 if you didn't die, A.T. Gunn, otakunerd247, WhenChocolatesWereBorn, wesharp3r or whatever the fuck you're called now, RySenkari, Sesquipedalian Numeral…**

And my two favorite fellow authors in the fandom: **AberrantScript** and **LoudAutomata16** (no u). I'd give you guys my left nut if you needed it.

I love the rest of you too, but you should've left more reviews to my stuff. (*shrugs*)

…

Okay, for reals now, what is there left to say? I love Silent Hill, I love The Loud House, and I love writing fiction about teenage girls wandering around trying to find their place in this world. If I can have those three things going forward, and you all here to tell me that I only suck when compared to Flagg and Hero… Then I'll be okay.

Thanks again for everything, and god bless.

-JSP

Today's my official one year anniversary of being a writer in this fandom, so I'm gonna get sentimental on you guys for a moment. Some of you I've never talked to, some of you I've known for a few weeks, some of you I've known for a long time. Whether it was just seeing your names on the FF archive or reading/reviewing your stuff or vice versa, or actually getting to know you...

It doesn't matter. I told a friend when we first started talking that, I love finding things that bring us together, and despite this fandom creating many divides, I'm still very happy to call it a home. You're all great, talented people, and I'm proud to be one of your peers. I don't care if you ever read any of my fics, I really don't. I'm just glad to be here, and I'm just glad to share my love of The Loud House with you all. So thanks so much for it, and here's to hoping the next year will be even better.


End file.
